A Tale of Two Routes
by Shock-UT
Summary: At first, Frisk couldn't resist Chara's malevolent influence, sowing chaos in their wake. Yet, the monsters decided to take fate in their hands and play a risky gamble, trying to shift a human's mindset. Will Frisk rise up to the challenge?
1. Author's Note

I have realised I was updating my story far too often and the whole plot seemed a bit rushed.  
I am going to maintain the whole idea of Frisk being possessed in this timeline, but also being able to fight it back in a different timeline.  
I am not sure on how long or how well will my chapters be, so please, bear with me.

 **Note:** **I will update this story whenever I am in the mood to write.  
So, by that rule, it can mean I can update it in two days, a week etc, just for the sake of suspense, okay? :D**

Thank you for taking time in reading this small note.


	2. Chapter One: The Reality of a Legend

**Frisk's gender: Agender, pronouns used are mostly he/him, though.  
Chara's gender: Female, pronouns she/her.**

There are some notes in the dialogue I must put forward:

1\. Everything written in italic _is the story itself_.

2\. Everything written like this represents dialogue, with some exceptions:

If there's something underlined, it represents a memory of Frisk's.

 **If something is bolded and underlined,** it represents a memory of Chara's.

 **"If something is written like this",** it represents a memory of a monster. **\- this goes for all monsters!**

* * *

 _"Long time ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS...and MONSTERS."_

 _Frisk never grew tired of this story, of how humans defeated the monsters and sealed them underground. Sure, it made humanity seem a cool species, with total domination over everything, but he didn't agree fully with this sort of perspective. In fact, something was troubling him. How could humans portray monsters in such a vile way? Isn't that saying in human world, that "the more you know animals, the less you love humans"? At the age of seven, he was quite a smart kid and caught up things not even adults could fully understand. He was forced to live a hard life since the age of two, when he was placed in an orphanage and his real parents made themselves scarce. Nobody told him a single word as to why his parents did this, as he was still a child and the orphanage caretakers were not concerned as to why parents were doing such things. As far as their concern was going, they only provided food and shelter for the children, until they were adopted. He didn't mingle too much with the other children of his age, mainly because of his ways and the fact that he didn't enjoy their company as much as he enjoyed the few storybooks that caretakers often placed in a great rusty cabinet that was placed in the "common room", a name given for the main room of the house, where children played with toys and had activities._

 _The activities themselves weren't bad, they learned how to read and write, count to ten, all the things that a child their age was supposed to know. Frisk often surprised their educators by saying complicate words he often saw in the storybooks, or by solving a puzzle faster than the other children. They were wondering why such a bright child could have such a miserable future ahead of them. Scores of couples were coming to adopt children, but nobody was picking Frisk, despite the fact that caretakers said "he's very smart" or "he's a kind child, never caused any trouble", at the mere sight of him, couples interested refused in an instant. What was it about this child that made everyone refuse him? He often pondered if life was worth living anymore, seeing as nobody was willing to take him home and offer him a family. Even though he was never a fan of staying with the children, there was a moment when he really enjoyed their company, and that was when the hour of "Old Legends Time" was about to begin. Because then, everyone was gathering around in the "common room", in a circle, and began telling old legends that felt like simple tales. He was fascinated by the legend of Mount Ebott lately, and he asked one of the kids to tell it again, saying it is a rather interesting tale. "Legend has it," began that child, "that those who climb Mount Ebott are said to never return. Six children wandered off that mountain and didn't come back. Nobody knows, to this day, where those children are."_

 _"I wonder if it's all really a legend," Frisk voiced his thoughts, as children around him began laughing, saying to him things like "You really don't think it's real, do you?" or "Come on Frisk, it's just a story! Why are you taking everything so seriously". Truth is he had all the reason to wish it was more than just a legend, seeing as how much he contemplated the part of climbing that mountain. "So...Mount Ebott exists, right?" continued Frisk, but it was obvious children were too tired to answer his question, and that the "Old Legends Time" was over. He made a shrug, got up and began climbing the old, creaky stairs as he made his way to the boys' dormitory, sleep catching on him, as he left out a loud yawn. The comfort of that orphanage bed seemed less...comfortable that night, as he tossed and turned, thinking about the legend. "Come on, just forget about it," he was trying to urge himself to sleep. "it's just a children's tale."  
But fate had other plans for Frisk, as always. After a lot of tossing and turning, he eventually dropped the whole sleep routine and took up their usual attire, a blue shirt with fading pink stripes, blue pants and a pair of brown shoes. "I don't care if everyone laughs it off as a mere legend. I already feel lonely, and nobody would miss my presence anyway."_

 _It was a chilly night, so the mere attire Frisk was wearing made him shiver even more, but he was determined to find out the truth. He opened the creaky and rusty gate of the orphanage, which made a slight noise as it was treading across the pavement, making Frisk freeze at the mere thought someone could find him here, outside, at this hour. He turned towards the building to see if any lights turned on, but thankfully, there was no light in sight, except the one given by the dimly lit street lamp. As he was watching this old, shabby orphanage covered in darkness, he knew he would not return here anymore, and he oddly found himself at peace with that thought. "Now, to find Mount Ebott and finish this," he thought as he began walking on the paved street, with his hands tugged in the pockets of his pants, looking for any signs of a forest or something like that. It felt quite peaceful, but at the same time it felt quite lonely to walk on a road, towards a place existing merely in tales. The street lamps were starting to become rarer and rarer, and it was obvious that once there are no more street lamps, the forest will be the first step in nothing but wilderness. Frisk was lucky enough to find a flashlight sitting atop of a rusted box, said box sitting next to a white fence, a white fence that surrounded a shabby house, in which an old man lived alone. It had a note attached to it: "To travelers that may need a light in the dark.", and Frisk thought the old man must have a lot of these flashlights, if he leaves them off to people wandering in the forest. Having that flashlight gave Frisk a bigger sense of security, as now he could distinguish what seemed like a pathway. "It seems to have been treaded quite a lot," Frisk caught himself deducing, as he examined various marks, here and there. "It means there is something beyond this forest?", he said, beginning to walk on it, as determination was surging in his blood._

 _After a long walk on the trail, sun was slowly rising above the trees, and Frisk was sleeping, with his back supported by a pine trunk. The birds were chirping quite loudly, and it was all that Frisk needed to open his eyes and take in the surroundings. The forest was slowly catching life, carressed by the sun, and he could hear a river stream nearby. "Water! This is what I need to replenish my forces. And some food," he thought as faint rumblings were heard from his stomach. Fortunately, he didn't have to scout too much for the river, and he began washing his face, drink a bit of water and soak his feet in the cold, but also pleasant river, when he was struck with a realization. In the distance, he could see a mountain rising above the trees, and all he could think of was "Wonder if that's the fabled Mount Ebott." He pondered that he would need yet another night's walk till he got there, but he wasn't really sure what was pushing him now towards the mountain. "I don't know if it's determination or I'm just having a suicidal thought, but I have to go there." Right now, his stomach was still rumbling, and the few fruits he found along the way weren't enough to cut down his need of food, but he didn't want anything stand between himself and the huge mountain that loomed above the horizon._

 _As hours went by, night was again the queen of the Earth, and stars were glistening like diamonds on the darkened sky. There was no moon tonight, and Frisk was glad the flashlight was still working, but he wasn't sure for how long it would stay that way, as the pathway seemed to go on and on, like it would never end. However, the mountain's looming form was getting closer and closer in his view, often stopping because he heard strange noises in the bushes. He didn't want to admit it, but fear was slowly instilling in his senses, no matter how brave he wanted to be. The pathway started to fade after a certain point, and he was sure that he was now close to the mountain's base, but that realization hit him like a ton of bricks, literally, as he tripped over a thick root that made its' way to the surface. "Ow. That must mean one thing: I'm at the base of Mt. Ebott. Tomorrow I'll have to climb it. But now I need to rest again."_

 _That night, Frisk had a dream. In that dream, he was in a flower field, but, as he was making his way through the flower field, he heard a loud thunder and saw a huge forest at the end of the flower field. He was not alone in that flower field, as he saw some creatures running towards the forest. He could hear human voices behind him, that were protesting monsters should be banished forever. As he turned in that direction, an army of humans, armed with all sorts of weapons, was headed towards him. For some odd reason, he asked the humans not to chase those creatures, but the humans did nothing but laugh and say that monsters will be sealed far, far away. Monsters were a burden for humanity, in their minds. Frisk didn't feel it was right though, and he stood put in front of the humans. One of the humans raised their axe and threatened him to step aside or he will be killed, but seeing the boy was firm in his decision, the axe went for his head. In that moment, Frisk's eyes flew open, filled with fear, as he hold tight to his rapidly beating heart and recalled he was still in the forest, seeing the pale sun rays making their way through the branches of fir trees. "What was all that about?!" he asked himself as he picked up, dusted his shirt and started climbing the mountain. Oddly, he found himself able to climb the mountain quite fast, although he owed that ability to the nightmare he had, as fear was instilling in him even deeper. As he was making up for the final push towards the top, he managed to sit upright and gaze for a moment at the surroundings. The sun was now close to the mid-day position, and its' radiant light was covering the entire forest, stretching far away, and at Frisk's feet, stood a huge crater. He certainly didn't expect to see that atop of a mountain, but he wasn't so sure now of his thoughts. "I've came so far, and now I seem to have abandoned those thoughts. Still, I haven't come this far just for the sheer fun of walking around at night towards a huge mountain. Here I walk into the deep abyss," he said as he placed one of his feet in the darkness._


	3. Chapter Two: A Devil's Foul Intentions

**A/N: I'm keeping the standards I set in the first place.  
Just in case you don't remember them, I will repost them here.**

1\. Everything written in italic _is the story itself_.

2\. Everything written like this represents dialogue, with some exceptions:

If there's something underlined, it represents a memory of Frisk's.

 **If something is bolded and underlined,** it represents a memory of Chara's.

 **"If something is written like this",** it represents a memory of a monster. **\- this goes for all monsters!**

 **In some dialogues, I want to separate Chara from Frisk, so here's how you can spot the difference:**

 ** _1\. Whatever is written like this is Chara's dialogue._** _  
_

2\. Whatever is written like this, represents Frisk and the monsters' dialogue.

 **Enjoy.**

 _Previously, on Chapter One: "I've came so far, and now I seem to have abandoned those thoughts. Still, I haven't come this far just for the sheer fun of walking around at night towards a huge mountain. Here I walk into the deep abyss," he said as he placed one of his feet in the darkness._

* * *

 _He felt the darkness enveloping him, as if it was a dance with the shadows. Before his eyes, all the bad memories were developing themselves, as he was watching a movie, a movie which cut itself out of a sudden. Frisk was laying unconcious on the bed of golden flowers, as the sunlight was slowly fading. It seemed that his story would end here, and that he'd be just another victim to add in Mount Ebott's legend. Now, seven children went missing, and nobody will ever notice their absence, as the legend will pass on from generation to generation. He must've stood there for about ten minutes, because all he could feel was a damp pain running all over his spine and his head hurt from the impact. As he opened his eyes, he could see a silhouette hovering over him, which looked pretty much similar to him, only, the striped shirt had a different pattern, green and cream. "Hey." the silhouette said to Frisk, but Frisk closed his eyes, surely thinking he must be imagining things after that long fall. "Wake up, human." continued the figure, only for Frisk to retort with a grave "Who're you."_

 _- **Who am I? I am Chara, and I'm your**_ ** _friend._  
-** I think I have gone mad. Now I'm seeing a kid that doesn't even exist, _said Frisk._  
- _ **I am your spiritual guide**_ , _continued Chara. **Trust me, you'll be okay around me.**  
_ \- Sure, whatever. I still think you're just in my imagination, _Frisk concluded._

 _Frisk dusted himself off and, despite the pain that was still lingering in his body, he started looking for a way to get out of there. Chara was standing next to him, putting a smile across her face, while accompanying Frisk. He didn't care about the phantom that became his "friend", as that thing put it, but he wasn't aware in the least that the friend was in fact a foe, a foe with a greater power than anyone else. After a while of touching darkness - Frisk was sad to discover the flashlight was completely useless after the fall - he could sense a stone door of sorts. "A door hidden deep in a mountain? I'm starting to think stories are real." he thought as he pushed it with all his might, despite the wave of pain that surged whenever Frisk was sustaining a great effort. The whole room was covered in darkness, except for one spot in the middle of the room, a spot that was almost grassy because of a light that came out of nowhere, a spot where he saw a golden flower with a face. A face that was smiling._

\- Howdy, _the flower started to say,_ I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!  
\- Hi, I'm Frisk, _the child said._  
\- You must be new to the Underground, aren't cha? _Flowey said, keeping up the act of a "good friend".  
_ \- Yeah, can you tell me more about the Underground? _continued Frisk nonchalantly._  
\- Golly! You must be really confused. I guess little old me will have to do, _Flowey said, as he brought up a square._

 _In the middle of that square, there was a red heart. "See that little red heart? That's your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL can become stronger if it gains a lot of LV." Flowey seemed overy excited to train the human, but there was something off about this whole excitement thing, and Frisk couldn't really place it. Still, Frisk decided to keep up with whatever game was this flower playing._

\- So, what's LV? _asked Frisk, seeing Flowey was looking at him, almost waiting for this question.  
-_ Why, it's LOVE, of course! You do want some LOVE, don't cha? Here, LOVE is shared through little, white..."friendliness pellets", _Flowey smiled, as he winked to Frisk._ Ready? Be sure to get them all!  
\- Okay, I'm ready, _Frisk said._

 _Somehow, even Chara expected Frisk to fall for the trap, but Frisk, as smart as he was, had the feeling he must dodge those pellets. " **Wow, you're really clever,"** said Chara to Frisk. But, in her mind, she knew that the plan to posess this human would be difficult to carry. That unless...certain circumstances would appear to make the possession a success._

\- Hey, buddy. You missed them, _said Flowey as he snickered._ Wanna try that again?  
\- Yeah, sorry, I wasn't paying attention, _Frisk excused himself._ Let's try again.

 _Frisk was determined to know if all this was truly a façade, as nobody is really that nice to somebody. And he knew that far too well, from the few bad experiences he had until the decision to throw himself off Mount Ebott. Chara, however, encouraged Frisk to take Flowey's pellets, saying that " **those pellets have a healing factor to them."** but, even at this moment, he ignored Chara's sayings. Of course it was a lie, it was a lie just as Flowey's "kind" nature, because, the third time Frisk dodged the bullets, Flowey's face shifted, revealing a malicious grin all over it. "You know what, kid? I had enough of your shit. DIE.", said Flowey as he conjured a ring of bullets to kill Frisk's SOUL, while laughing like a maniac. But what happened next surprised Frisk and the ghost of Chara, as a fireball emerged out of nowhere, throwing away Flowey and making him retreat as fast as he could._

\- What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth... _said a young goat monster, with the fur white as snow, wearing long purple robes._ Do not worry, that horrible creature will not attack you anymore, _she reassured Frisk, as her seemingly red irises began to glow even redder.  
\- _Thank you, _was all that Frisk could muster to say.  
_ \- Are you hurt? _the goat monster asked, with a look of worry over the few cuts and bruises that were covering Frisk's arms._  
\- That thing didn't hurt me, _went Frisk on saying, but as he was about to explain his injuries, the goat monster started healing them.  
\- _There you go. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. What is your name, my child? _she asked, having a rather tender timbre in her voice._  
\- My name is Frisk, _he said._ I'm pleased to meet you, Toriel, _he continued, knowing his manners.  
_ \- It's a lovely name, _she said._ Now, come! I will guide you through the catacombs.

 _Unsure of his situation, Frisk decided to follow the nice goat monster. If he doubted Flowey's nature, there was something about Toriel's presence that didn't set Frisk into questioning the kindness she showed towards him. " **Wow, so you're really getting started, eh?"**_ _Chara taunted Frisk. **"I can't wait to see what comes up next,"** but she didn't realise that Frisk wasn't really attentive on her blabbing. His eyes and ears were focused on Toriel's explanations, as she instructed Frisk about how puzzles serve as ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys, and how the Ruins would be his new home from now on. Frisk was nothing but determined to follow her guidance to the letter, not only because it felt great to spend time with someone that really cared about them, it was because he adored solving puzzles as well. However, there was a thing that Frisk didn't really understand, and that's the concept of FIGHTs, but Toriel cleared that up with a swift explanation. "Strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time, I will come to solve the conflict. Practice it, with that dummy over there.", she said as she pushed Frisk to face the Dummy. Frisk, being the usual silent kid, decided he would talk to the Dummy about how much he likes puzzles and reading stories, apart from exploring the world, but all the things he said didn't surprise Toriel, because she was obviously seeing Frisk's smarts, as the puzzles presented little to no challenge for him. The only puzzle she guided through was the spike puzzle, as she was afraid for his safety, but Frisk got on the occasion to feel her fuzzy paw intertwining with his fingers. It felt so soft and gentle, and almost...safe? This whole feeling of safety was something new for Frisk, as he never felt safe back in that orphanage he left off. He could only remember being harassed by older kids, when the orphanage took everyone for playtime in the park. Nobody was really interested in Frisk's safety, and he mostly ended up being beaten. That was only if the caretaker didn't react fast in breaking up fights, but everyone knew Frisk never started a fight in his life. He was picked on just because he was a gentle soul that couldn't harm even a fly. And now, being alongside Toriel, those bad memories were starting to fade away. Her mere presence gave Frisk strength to carry on, gave Frisk a reason to live. _

_" **Whoa there, buddy,"** Chara began to say to Frisk, " **you can't really be sure she's not like that flower, right? Be honest with yourself, don't you feel even in the least threatened by her? What would happen if one night, she decides to off you?"** If Chara was ever good at something, she was good at seeping venom and hatred in others, perverting their thoughts so she could have control. Even though Frisk was smart, he could not predict what Chara's intentions really were, even if at one point he was right that she was lying. He didn't trust Chara that much, but she was the first contact with the Underground, to be honest. Still she made her point in Frisk's heart, and darkness was slowly attaching to his SOUL. He decided that he would act nice until the monster would show true opposition, but Chara was whispering various hints to him, for example, where to find the Toy Knife, and especially how to equip it, telling him that **"with a weapon in hand, you'll be able to defend if monsters would attack you."**_ _  
"Yeah, yeah, I got the point," was all that Frisk retorted to Chara's "careful instructions", which all made part of her plan. She planned to come back to life through a human's body, and it was the only reason she kept haunting the Underground, expecting a silly human to give her total control. **"Chaos will be unleashed"** , was all Chara thought, **"and Frisk won't be able to resist at all. And the best is yet to come."** , but she kept up that act of the "good spiritual guide", as she wanted Frisk to stay alive long enough to witness the chaos he will bring.  
_

 **[Toriel's Home]  
**

 _"Frisk, I thought of a way to surprise you, so I baked a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I'm glad I get to hold off snail pie for tonight.", Toriel gleefully told Frisk, as Frisk was still unsure how to treat the whole situation with Toriel. He kept the knife in his inventory as he didn't want to scare her, because a part of him was seriously rooting for her already. He went up to her and gave her a warm hug, while saying the most beautiful words Toriel will ever remember:  
_

\- Toriel...I don't really know how to say this, but...can I call you "Mother"? _Frisk was blushing red asking her that._  
\- Are you sure of this, my child? We barely know each other. Do you really trust me that much? _she asked him, surprised by his decision._  
\- Yes, I trust you very much! _Frisk said, hugging her tight.  
\- _Very well, Frisk. You can call me however you like! _she said, returning his embrace.  
_ \- I should probably go rest, Mama. We'll talk later, _said Frisk._  
\- Wait, child. Let me show your room, _Toriel said as she gently took Frisk's hand._

 _-_ Here, this is your room, _she said, letting go of Frisk's hand, and proceeded to open the white door._

 _The room itself was pretty big, and it was all painted in the same creamy colours that were used for the entire house. The first thing Frisk noticed was the box of toys standing at the end of a red bed, which looked like real comfy once you were settled in to sleep. On the other side of the room, there was a large armoire and next to it, a cabinet with a lot of drawers, from one, Frisk could see a sock hanging. On top of the cabinet was an empty photo frame, and next to the cabinet stood a large lamp. Toriel couldn't help ruffling Frisk's hair, and then she made up an excuse to leave the young boy alone. Frisk's eyes were about to close and the next thing he remembered was that he darted for the bed and let sleep take him. However, his slumber was not going to be a peaceful one, filled with good dreams and joy, but quite the contrary. Toriel entered the room, leaving a small slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie, and was about to walk out of the room, when she saw the boy tossing and turning, as if something was not letting him sleep well._

 _He was, in fact, having a dreary nightmare. A nightmare that was soon going to turn real. It all began with what seemed eternal darkness, but, out of this whole darkness, he could see Chara, with her back turned on him, laughing. **"I can't believe how fool you are. You actually build up a bond with Toriel. But it doesn't matter anymore, 'cause now, the plan is in motion. You're really naive, thinking that monsters are not evil at all. I'm about to show you the contrary."** Frisk didn't understand what she meant about that, but the moment she turned to face him, ooze began dripping from her eyes and mouth, saying nothing else than **"all that power you have, can bring me back to life. With that, I can exact my revenge on all monsters. With you, I can leave chaos in my way. Together, we'll have the power to play with time and space as you want. Don't say it doesn't tempt you in the slightest."** Chara's words seeped more venom in Frisk's heart, and try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to resist all this evil influence. In a way, Chara was right, he often felt the urge to unleash his wrath over the others that wronged him. And so, his SOUL became black, full of hatred, an evil smirk growing on his face. "You're right, I'd be a fool to refuse such a deal. For years I did nothing but stay back and endure everything." _

_Luckily, Toriel exited the room before she saw the horrid smile on Frisk's sleepy face. Now, Frisk was fully possessed, and Chara was free to do as she pleased. **"Come now. It's time to unleash your wrath."**_


	4. Chapter Three: Chara's Unrepentance

**A/N: I'm hoping you were hyped about what was going to be next!  
Hell is far from being over, sadly, for our monsters.  
Do not fret though! Light always finds a way to shine in the darkness, right?**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

 _Chara was now free. Free to do as she pleased, and Frisk was now just a minion of her vengeance. Using all the remorse and wrath Frisk himself gathered over the years of abuse, her power became strong enough to be noticed by monsters aware of such things._ **She remembered perfectly the day she threw herself off Mount Ebott. Chara wanted to have no ties with humanity whatsoever. A young goat child, named Asriel, was the one that found her lying on the bed of golden flowers. Apart from the rest of monsterkind, Asriel was the one she wanted to exact her revenge upon the most.** _As far as she was concerned, she was glad that_ _monsters would get no happy ending. In some ways, the entire monster race was sentenced, without any knowledge, to a thing humans named in their history as "Holocaust." To be more precise, that means the mass extermination of one race over another. And this was going to begin with the very first monster Frisk met: Toriel.  
_ _In some ways, Frisk had a small restraint when Chara relinquished, through his body, her name. Although he was promised power, he wasn't sure he could really harm Toriel, but Chara urged him on, " **Don't worry, just play it along and then kill her. It's easy."** Frisk smiled in an evil way and said something like "Okay. Fine."  
_

 _He played the role of good boy around Toriel, until the moment he asked to leave the Ruins, only for her to say these few words, "You wish to know how to return "home," do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins._ _ _A one-way exit to the rest of the underground._ ___I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again._ " making it sufficient for Chara/Frisk to start battling her. As the repeated lashes cut through Toriel's fur, somehow, Frisk's conscience was blaming him for such a deed. But Chara's influence was so strong, and she kept whispering twisted words, just so she could keep control over Frisk, words like **"this is the right way, if you want to gain true power!"**  
As the final blow struck Toriel, her final words, "_ _ _Now I see...who I was protecting... by keeping you there. Not you...but them.", remained engraved in Frisk's mind, for some odd reason, as he saw her body turning to dust. The scent was a delight for Chara, as she huffed it in through Frisk's lungs. **"And this is just the beginning, my friend! Let us eradicate this world as it is."** , she said as she raised the Toy Knife over her head.  
__

 _ _Chara took little to no time in adjusting herself to Frisk's body. From this time on, it was obvious that the story was about to change. Frisk's story practically ended the moment Chara's story was about to unfold, destined to leave behind her only chaos and eternal darkness. And now, Chara's attire changed from the blue and pink shirt Frisk was wearing, to a blue and green shirt, alongside blue pants and black shoes. She felt pleased that she finally came back, although she knew that__ **this wasn't the first time she went down exterminating monsters.** _An evil, sick and twisted grin was forming on her face, as she opened the Ruins door with an effort. Snowdin Forest was unfolding before her, but it seemed much gloomier than usual, and very much deeper, meaning there would be quite a walk until the center of these woods. Somewhere, lurking in the darkness, a small skeleton with a blue hoodie was watching her movements closely. He was the only one that had knowledge about the previous timelines, seeing a lot of things many monsters did not witness in any form. Whenever monsters got their happy ending - and that was only when whoever fell Underground did not go out murdering monsters - a RESET was set forth. He could not understand why would anyone do such a thing - to toy with monsters' lives over and over again. He also knew that there were timelines in which monsters ended up dead, one way or another, and whoever was doing it was collecting dust, like it was a precious trophy. But the thing he hated the most, was the fact that whoever was the evildoer, that person killed his brother over and over again. The skeleton's name was Sans, and he was a smart skeleton, with a true knack for science and magic, although he was pretty lazy to do anything. He decided to come out of hiding and say just a few words to this being, "hi. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. for the sake of pretending, keep up the act of being human."_ _  
_

 ** _"That skeleton..."_** _,_ _began Chara to think, **"he looks like he knows a lot more than he lets on."** , and her thoughts were going to be proven correct, but Sans was also keeping up his act of being a nice monster. He knew what was happening in every evil timeline, how Papyrus was mashed to bone dust in front of him, how every monster was eradicated out of no logical reason. And he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to give this kid a bad time, when they'll meet one another again. But for now, he had to witness what was about to come, and that was his brother's death. It was inevitable, in a timeline such as this, and it was a thing he would've wanted to erase from his mind each time the RESET was pulled off in action. Whoever was now walking and unleashing hell over innocent souls, was surely an unrepentant killer. But what Sans didn't know, it was that the child who was giving hell to monsters was in fact, corrupted by the soul of Chara. Still, this means he couldn't keep a promise he made a long time ago to the woman which enjoyed his knock-knock jokes. Sans noticed her absence when at his usual "knock-knock", he didn't get an answer at all, which was strange, because he knew that the woman would come by at that hour.  
For now, in front of Chara stood Snowdin, the town some of the monsters that decided to remain here called "home." It was home for the skeleton brothers as well, as they could bear the cold with ease. Snowdin had a small shop, an inn, Grillby's Restaurant, a library with a misspelled sign, and a few houses, amongst them being the house of the two skeleton brothers. Snowdin looked really festive and joyous, but Chara's only joy was to erase monsters off the face of this universe, and the more she covered herself with dust, the greater became her power. The few inhabitants that managed to avoid her presence were truly lucky, and Sans did his best to direct them to safehouses where the homicidal kid couldn't enter, no matter what. Now he had to sit through the whole battle the kid would lead against his brother - he had seen this so many times, and each time it made his SOUL break. But just that simple fact, that his friends were slowly obliberated before his eyesockets, it was enough to start a wave of righteous fury, to have a true desire of exterminating such a dreaded creature. "now i'm not sure who's the monster out of you and me, kid. you'll be dead right where you stand." Sans thought as he was watching Papyrus bravely standing against Chara:  
_

\- I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY. FIRST: YOU´RE A FREAKING WEIRDO!  
 _ **\- That's the best insult you got?** snarled Chara._  
\- LET ME FINISH, HUMAN. NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES. BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE…  
 _ **\- What's that about, are you scared?** said Chara, twirling the Toy Knife in her hand.  
_\- I CAN SEE THAT YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER. IT FEELS...LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH.  
\- _**Oh, you don't say. I actually like the way my life is going,** said Chara, with a sick grin on her face.  
_\- I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW!  
\- **_Look at you, how innocent you are. You still think I'm a good person, don't cha? Well, you're WRONG._**

 _And so, Chara cut deep into Papyrus's bones, a twisted grin forming on her face, enjoying the sadistic torture she was inflicting on the poor monsters in her way. Still, Papyrus didn't want to give up on his principles._ " _W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED... BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE...". For Sans, it didn't matter anymore that he heard those words again. The only thing that mattered to him was to make sure that this human will die at his hands. It wasn't something he wanted to do, as he saw the good timelines - they convinced him that some form of good must've existed in this human as well at first. But whatever diverted them from the path of good, wasn't going to stop very soon, and he knew that far too well.  
After dusting herself off, Chara went on the path that led towards Waterfall. Waterfall was a quiet and serene place, for the ones that were good and lived their life in peace, but for Chara, this was going to be an empty place as well. **Chaos feeds on chaos** , she said as she cleared her way, the aura surrounding her getting darker and darker, drinking on her ever-growing power, inhaling monster dust, as if it was some delicious drug. She was now LV 9, and monsters crossing her way were nothing but free EXP. Sans was worried about the safety of the few lucky monsters that managed to escape from her sight, and directed them to safehouses. Chara forgot one thing though, that Waterfall was home for the famous Royal Guard Undyne the Undying, who fought real hard to be head of the Royal Guards, and that she had natural Determination stemming from her. _

_Chara felt tired after all this killing, and decided she should take a rest next to Gerson's small shop. Her dreams were made of darkness and obliteration, but in some deep down corner, there was a tiny voice saying "How long do you plan on going with this?", only for her to answer **"Didn't you want power? Witness it. Taste it. Embrace it. Or, are you getting tired to see me killing everybody with your hands? Don't be such a wimp. You're unleashing your wrath."** but somehow, that voice was going contrary, "My wrath? On these monsters? It seems to me like it's your wrath." but Chara preferred not to listen to whatever that voice was saying. It was the voice of conscience, that started to manifest again in this SOUL. Still, Chara could crush one's conscience very easily, with a few twisted words: **"That way we gain power and you get the best of it."**  
Sans was watching from afar, how Chara rest against the wall, that sick grin still on her face. For some reason, he felt a surge of rage, a twisted thought of ending the kid's life right there emerging from all the emotions. "no. the kid will have to wait until their judgement. if i do that, i'm no better than them. let the story unfold, sansy boy. then you can see if you can save something...or destroy everything."_

 _After a few hours of sleep, Chara walked into Gerson's shop, to get some items for healing, when the old tortoise shopkeeper began saying:  
_  
\- Wa ha ha...So you came here. What a treat!  
\- **Hi, old tortoise. You heard of me, by the look on your face. Are you scared?  
** \- I've lived too long to be afraid of something like you, _said Gerson._ Don't expect a discount for what you'll buy.  
\- **You'll see your friends dying right before your eyes. You'll want to fight me, old man.  
\- **Eh? Fight you? Nah, I'm not a hero. At least by talking to you, I've bought enough time for some of them to escape.  
\- **How quaint. But nobody can really escape my wrath,** _Chara said, with an evil smirk._ **Soon enough, I will erase you from existence.  
\- ** I may not be a hero, but I know there's someone out there. Someone who'll never give up trying to do the right thing, no matter what, _Gerson said, with hope raising in his healthy eye._  
\- **So you fools still think of resisting. It doesn't really help you, you know?** _Chara said, leaving out what could be interpreted as an ironic laugh.  
\- _It's just something I know is true. That someone like that will strike you down, _Gerson said as he left the counter.  
-_ **You tell me all that, hoping I will cower in fear. Please, my LOVE is growing stronger, and your pitiful resistance is nothing but a child's play.  
\- **We'll see who's right about that, kid. Good riddance.

 _In the shadows, Sans was happy Gerson wasn't harmed. After all, the old tortoise was living history, and all his lessons were valuable for the young skeleton. It was just because of these lessons that he managed to make himself efficient. He realised that every monster has its' role, and he can't just be a lazy bag of bones all day - perhaps that's why he was secretly training with Undyne, while Asgore was watching their training. Asgore was forming, since that day, a secret order of trusted monsters, called "Order of Delta", and when he offered Undyne the position of Guard, she embraced it fully, happy to be of service to her King. And while he was watching Sans battling Undyne, he saw his power and rationale, and perhaps that was the reason Asgore chose him for the role of Judge. Sans was surprised at the King's decision, and decided to improve his fighting skills day by day, to make sure no evildoer would get past him. Undyne's role was one of protecting monsters until the Judge would become the last resort of defending monsterkind. In other words, she was just the first line of the defense should things go hectic. And truth be told, things were already hectic, the homicidal kid was playing the whole game without having an opponent of her size. But the game was going to get balanced, as Chara was going to face the first champion of light.  
_


	5. Chapter Four: A Survivor's Retaliation

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter seems a lot shorter than the previous ones.  
The adventure continues!  
**

* * *

 _Undyne was sitting in the Guards' great hall, as Sans, instead of Papyrus, were the one to bring the grim news. "human or whatever this thing is, it has managed to destroy our world until now. i hate to say this, undyne, but it looks like your time to wait is up. you gotta face this. pap tried to capture the human, but he...turned to dust." Undyne took the bad news in tow and said "Whatever this is, it will not get past me. I have Determination", she said as she clenched her fists. "I was chosen for this role for a reason. Tell Alphys to evacuate everyone in case I might fall. It will all rest on you then, Sans." she softened her gaze while watching the skeleton shifting his movements. "I understand this is a heavy choice I'm placing on your shoulders, but this brat must not live. If they reach Asgore, it's all over, and monsterkind will just disappear from existence." Sans smiled at her words and reassured her he will do his best to prevent the kid from reaching Asgore.  
_

 _Chara found Monster Kid sitting next to the Waterfall sentry station, where Sans usually stood. He wasn't there now though, which made Chara relieved she won't have to see him for long time. Monster Kid approached her, despite Undyne's warnings that the human hurt a lot of people and was dangerous._ " _Yo. Undyne told me to stay away from you. She said you... You hurt a lot of people. ... But, yo, that's not true, right!? ... ... yo... Why won't you answer me? A... a... and what's with that weird expression...? Oh... Oh man... (Man, my h-heart's pounding right out of my chest...) (... what would Undyne do?) (...) Yo... Y-you'd b-better st-stop r-right where you are... Cause if you w-wanna hurt anyone else... you're... You're gonna have to get through me, first. A... an... and..."  
_

 **\- And what, you brat? You can't do anything,** _Chara said, as she held the knife close to the little monster's muzzle.  
_ \- I...can...still...F-FIGHT...you! _said Monster Kid, as he grit his teeth, giving out a rather amusing expression on his_ face.  
 **\- Oh wow, you think yourself brave,** _she said, an evil laughter resonating in the darkened hallway._ **Your bravery is FUTILE,** _Chara said as she prepared to attack Monster Kid._ _  
_

 _Just in that very moment, an armored fish monster knight ran in front of the monster child, her eyes showing determination and rage, but as she turned towards the little monster child, there took place a rather soft exchange of words. "_ _ _Undyne... You're... You're hurt..._ " said Monster Kid, with worry rising in his eyes. But Undyne was determined to keep the monster child away from danger, "_ _ _It's nothing. Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?_ ", her voice rather soft in contrast to the fiery display of rage in her eyes. The kid was about to apologize, when Undyne bellowed "_ _ _I'll take care of this! Get out of here!_ ", making Monster Kid leave in a rush, not before tripping and hitting his face as he was making his way out of the battlefield. Sans took the kid and used one of his shortcuts to a safehouse in Snowdin, where Monster Kid was now protected from harm, but at the same time, Sans was curious to see what is going to happen - although he could predict it, Undyne will be dying too - and then everything would rest on Alphys and himself. It was a good thing he decided to evacuate the few lucky monsters that managed to escape the dark child's wrath, that way, Alphys would have less on her mind to worry about, giving her time to prepare Asgore for the final fight, in the event Sans would be another victim of this calculated extermination. But Sans was ready to face the kid, and he would give everything if it meant protecting monsterkind...or what was left of it, anyway._

 _-_ If you get past me, you'll...You'll destroy them all, won't you? Monsters... Humans... Everyone...Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams. Vanquished in an instant, _said Undyne, with a determined expression on her face._ But I WON'T let you do that, _she continued, pointing a blue, sharp spear towards the sky._ **  
\- Do you think your words mean anything to me?** _Chara said, twirling the knife in her hand.  
_ \- I know they don't mean anything, _Undyne said with a low chuckle._ But...you know, for the sake of the whole world...I, UNDYNE, will strike you down!

 _The battle began with Undyne forcing Chara's SOUL to face danger head-on, waves of spears launching with ferocity towards killing the evil brat that took away her friends. "_ _ _You're just a remorseless criminal. You wandered through the caverns, attacking anyone in your path_ ", began Undyne. "_ _ _You killed them because it was easy for you. Because it was fun for you._ ", she continued, waves of attacks getting wilder, making it difficult for Chara's SOUL to dodge them completely. **"Wow, what a shame. And I thought you'd be much more angrier than this. Come on, give me your best shot!"** Chara taunted on Undyne, almost like knowing this would make her snap, but instead, Undyne said nothing more than "_ _ _You're going to have to try harder than that!_ " as she launched a great spear towards the kid. Chara didn't manage to dodge it fully, the spear grazing one of the shirt's sleeves, leaving a wound that began bleeding. **"Heh, you're determined, I can see that. But you didn't see this-"** Chara said as she plunged the Toy Knife deep in Undyne's heart. Sans was watching the battle, and he was almost hoping that it would end with the kid being killed, but seeing that sneaky move, he decided to take off to Judgement Hall, trying to shrug away the righteous fury that flew through his bones. In Undyne's arena, the armored fish knight's body was beginning to melt, but her dying words would remain engraved in the kid's mind: "_ _...I won't... ...Give up..._ _Ha... ha..._ _.Alphys..._ _This is what I was afraid of..._ _If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. Cause I've... Got my friends behind me..._ _By now she's called ASGORE and told him to absorb the 6 human SOULs._ _And with that power..._ _This world will live on...!_ _"_

 _In the depths of her lab, Alphys was watching on the monitors, her expression filling with horror, how Undyne was turning to dust. Even in her last moments, Undyne thought about her. Even though the two females never had a real chance at confessing their feelings, Alphys could feel her heart break and her SOUL being shaken to the core. Asgore knew this much, it all relied on Sans and himself now. "N-no. I-if she didn't give up on h-hope, I w-will not. I'm e-evacuating the r-rest of the m-monsters in H-Hotland to s-safehouses. W-whatever is t-this thing, it w-won't g-get o-out of here alive.", Alphys said for herself as she began accessing various databases and verifying if there were enough safehouses for everyone to run to. Asgore was pacing back and forth in a room Alphys arranged for the king - allowing him to rest there while everything was going to be set in place - the king was worried on how long could Sans resist this...thing. However, those weren't the only thoughts that plagued his mind. He missed Toriel's presence, but she was long gone, Asriel was dead...his only real support was Alphys, who tried to be a good friend for dire times. He often wondered if Toriel would forgive him one day, but he knew her temper and that it would take centuries for her to forgive what he did. Truth be told, he never laid a hand on these children, as the souls were brought in by monsters, who were just following his policy of killing any human that falls into the Underground. He laid on the king-sized bed and stared at the blank ceiling, not knowing if he should succumb to the darker thoughts that were crawling in his mind, thoughts of suicide.  
_

\- K-King Asgore, _said Alphys, standing behind the door._ I-it is t-time. The a-abomination is h-heading towards J-Judgement Hall _, she continued, hearing no answer from the other side.  
_ \- I see, _began Asgore in his baritonal voice._ It would seem there's no other option _, he continued, with a sad expression forming on his face.  
_ \- I k-know how m-much Your H-Highness hates s-solving a conflict by f-fight..., _Alphys said, voicing out Asgore's thoughts._ B-but it is o-our only c-chance at s-survival, _her voice became stern saying this phrase, even if she was stuttering.  
_ \- Do you have cameras in the Judgement Hall? _Asgore asked her, eager to see how Sans would hold out against this abomination.  
_ \- S-sadly, no, _Alphys said._ B-but I can call Sans and w-we could e-encourage him, Y-Your H-Highness. I-I am s-sure he c-could use s-some s-support right n-now, _she continued, cleaning her glasses.  
_ \- Yes, that's actually a good idea! _Asgore clasped his paws as he stood in the room's door, Alphys looking meekly towards the monster sovereign._

 _Alphys took out her phone from her rather messy lab coat and formed Sans's number. Asgore was standing next to her, as she was shaking nervously. Alphys wasn't really excited about talking on the phone with anyone, but right now, monsterkind itself depended on this call. After a couple rings, Sans eventually decided to answer:  
_

\- sans here. what's up, alph?  
\- S-sans, m-me and K-King A-Asgore wanted to s-say something t-to y-ou, _Alphys voice began, with a subtle faltering in her timbre.  
_ \- what's that? _Sans asked, nervous about the encounter with the dark-soul child.  
_ \- B-be s-strong, S-sans! Y-you'll n-not f-falter! Y-you are o-our h-hope! _she said, trying to encompass the last thread of hope lying in her soul._ \- gee, thanks, alph. i appreciate it, _Sans said, a smile forming on his face.  
_ \- Sans, _the baritonal voice of the King began_ , you are The Judge. Keep up hope and do not show any mercy to this darkened soul. We will all support you, with all our might, _Asgore reassured the small skeleton._

 _Sans could almost feel the aura surrounding the king, an aura of leadership and determination. It was all that he needed to keep steadfast against this dark beast with no heart. "welp, time to prepare myself, right?"_

 _While Alphys and Asgore were encouraging Sans, Chara was slowly marching towards the lab, only to discover it was fully protected by magical barriers. **"Oh. So that's how they intend to keep me at bay from hurting more monsters. They're fools. I will erase them all."** , but a voice was again resonating within the SOUL..."How long are you going to do this? I'm really getting sick of what I'm seeing. We're just spreading chaos. What's the use of all this?" **"Frisk. I am in control now. Why are you still saying all this crap? Didn't you want revenge? You have it! Didn't you want power? Touch it, it's at the edge of a knife! You can't seriously want to pull the plug now, right?"**_


	6. Chapter Five: Webs and Melting Metal

**A/N: Hello, dear readers!  
I hope you were ecstatic about what was going to happen next!  
The final battle's not yet at hand, but it's slowly coming...light will clash against the darkness, tides will turn...  
**

 **I want to add something:** *whatever is written like this* **is Mettaton's speech.  
Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide.  
This might be the longest chapter of my story, for now.  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Now that Undyne was dead, monsters were starting to lose hope. Alphys and Asgore tried their best at keeping their morale, assuring them that Sans is still the last line of defense for their race. However, Muffet and Mettaton were ready to provide a distraction until Sans was truly ready to face this homicidal kid. "Dearies, even if I might sound nice now, me and my spiders will try to hold off as long as we can. Mettaton here agreed to this plan as well.", said Muffet as she showed Metatton's new body, with significant anti-human combat features. He said in his typical robotic voice: *Alphys, we might've gone cold in the past. But this time I want to help.* Alphys's expression was growing with worry, but nodded and hugged the robot. "Promise m-me y-you'll be s-safe, M-Mettaton." was all Alphys could say, tears forming in her eyes.  
Asgore was standing rather far from this scene, flinching at these exact words, as he remembered times gone by. Times when love, hope and compassion were filling his SOUL fully, making him protect all he cared about with an absolute courage. It was in the war camp of the monsters, in that first day of the battle with the humans, when he and Toriel stood in a long embrace. He wanted that embrace to last eternally, but the urgency of the lieutenants to start the attack was really pressuring on both leaders.  
_

 **"- Promise me you'll be safe, Gorey, _said Toriel, in the softest of voices he ever heard of her.  
\- _ The same goes for you, Tori, _he said as he held her tighter against his Delta Rune armor._ If anything would happen to you, I swear I would kill myself.  
\- Don't go there, Gorey, _she shused him as she leaned in for a kiss._ "**

 _Alphys noticed the lingering gaze in the monster sovereign's eyes, and knew he must've remembered Toriel. With all the time she spent around the king, working on the Determination experiments, she knew whenever he was thinking of his wife, or whenever he slipped her name in a tender, baritonal voice. She knew that he missed Toriel far too much, and Alphys herself wanted to do something about this. The king became her friend, and she couldn't really bear to see him so broken. Yes, she might have read far in his attentions towards her, because she got a crush on him at a point. But, as time went by, Alphys understood that Asgore was simply missing Toriel. With that out of her path, she discovered that Undyne was actually the one she truly loved. Heck, she could see right now Asgore needed a friend, and Alphys hugged the goat king.  
_

\- What is it, my Royal Scientist? _Asgore flinched at this sudden display of friendship from Alphys.  
\- _Your Highness, _Alphys began, focusing on her words,_ I can see the suffering in your eyes as you heard those words. You were remembering the Queen, is it not?

 _It was so rare of Alphys to say a full sentence without stuttering, even the king was shocked. But yes, she was right, he allowed his weakness to show, and simply nodded sadly at Alphys's question. *Alphys*, began Mettaton, interrupting the conversation between the scientist and the king, *me and Muffet will go to the Spider Parlor. Do not worry. I will be safe. And...King Asgore. You are our leader. We believe in you.*, finished Mettaton in saying as he was looking at the king's saddened expression. "Ready, dearie? Ahuhuhu...this is the first time I do something else than baking...Ahuhuhu." Muffet said as she was making her way out of the lab, on a secondary door, Mettaton following behind.  
_

 _All this time, Chara was hellbent on killing, pleased that everything was silent. Chaos was her way of living, and she was ready to take anyone with her in eternal darkness. But in the SOUL, a battle of conscience started to take place._

 _-_ I really feel sick _, said Frisk's conscience._ Toriel. Papyrus. Undyne. All those monsters. I'm sick of the power you offer me, Chara. At first, I thought it would be cool to unleash my wrath. I don't feel the same anymore.  
\- **I'm asking you again. You really want to pull the plug now, when we're so close to destroying everything?  
** \- Fine. Make use of my wrath, cause you don't seem to listen. I'm beginning to change my mind over this. _  
 **-**_ **Don't forget your place,** _said Chara, pulling her knife towards her neck._ **You made a pact with me, and now you can't back out. You are my slave. My SOUL.**

 _It seemed that those words were enough to put Frisk's remains of conscience into place. **"Your pathetic attempts at regaining something are amusing me,"** said Chara. **"The moment you said yes to killing everyone, you just can't drop it because you're sick of what you see. I made your wishes real. Enjoy the hell, it's all you'll ever see from now on."** Chara finished as she was ending the life of another monster. Shyren was hiding far from view as she saw monsters falling and turning to dust before her eyes, and Sans was still searching for any survivors. He decided that he couldn't just sit in the Judgement Hall, waiting for the hellbent killer. Shyren was lucky enough that Sans discovered her before Chara, and as the skeleton looked at the devil child, he couldn't help taunting her: **  
**_

\- wow, kid. it seems you've gone far with killing everyone. it's amusing, i never thought you'd fall this far.  
 **\- I promise, you're the next one I plan on killing. Over and over, until there's no bone left,** _said Chara, an evil grin forming on her face.  
_ \- you know it ain't _chillin'_ me, right? thanks to you, i have a skele- _ton_ of work, _Sans said with a low chuckle, his eyesockets turning black, the pinpricks completely gone.  
_ **\- You're still keeping up the act? I'm surprised. I expected you to snap in an instant,** _Chara said.  
_ \- you'll be dead where you stand, kid. but this is not the time or the place. your judgement will have to wait for now, _Sans said as his left eyesocket began to glow faintly cyan._

 _In a moment's flick, the area was surrounded with a white light, forcing Chara to close her eyes, and seconds later, the light was gone. It was the only time Sans dared to use a shortcut in front of someone. Chara wasn't really flinching at this, it was almost as if she didn't feel any fear, but Frisk's conscience was a bit shaken by that light. **"Wow, he thinks himself so big and great. He's just a comedian. He will not be a real threat."** Chara thought as she made her way towards the Spider Parlor, where Muffet was expecting her. Truth be told, Chara didn't expect to fight another important monster anyway, as she stomped on the spiders that were crawling on her body. **"Screw off, stupid spiders!"** she raged in her mind, as she cut a few of the spiders off. Muffet showed herself from the shadows, a large web surrounding her, and she began laughing softly, a glint of pleasure forming in her eight eyes.  
_

\- Ahuhuhu...I heard what you did to the spiders in the Ruins. You're awfully hating us, don't cha?  
 **\- You're nothing but a bunch of gross insects. Why are you even here? Don't you know who I am?  
** \- Ahuhuhu...I heard about a demon child that kills everyone in their path. I was curious on how this demon looks like.  
 **\- You're standing in my way, spider. Let me pass, or you'll die by my hand.  
** \- Ahuhuhu...Big words coming out of your mouth, dearie. I don't let anyone pass by so easily! _Muffet said as she began weaving a strong web around Chara.  
_ \- **Let me go! Let me go, you stupid creature!** _yelled Chara as the web was getting stronger and stronger._

 _Muffet was acting mischievously even now, a laughter escaping her now and then. "Purple would look so well on you, my dear!" she said as she doused the demon child's SOUL in purple. "That way you ain't moving too much. You're completely under my will."_ _Chara was struggling hard against the waves of spiders that kept crawling, the numerous pastries that were thrown at her, in a desperate attempt at hurting this force that seemed unstoppable. **"YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE,"** roared Chara as she dodged Muffet's waves of attacks, only for Muffet to bring in her pet, a muffin pet she affectionately named Chump. "Chump, dearie, eat this SOUL for me, would you?" but Chara was fast, dodging many of Chump's attacks, at a point managing to sink the Toy Knife in the pet's heart. Muffet shed a small tear seeing the muffin pet turning to dust, only for her to take a bolder voice, "Wow, dearie. How far are you going to live with such darkness in your heart?" as she weaved a stronger web, only for it to actually end up being cut by Chara. She managed to escape the web, and Muffet realised she was really at this demon's will. __**"Oh, come on. And I thought you'd put up more of a fight. Pitiful creature. Your life ends here."** Muffet could say nothing that "It was a pleasure to meet you, dearie, I could see just how rotten you are-", and Chara didn't expect her to finish. She just slashed the spider's torso and watched as Muffet turned to dust. **"These miserable idiots still fight back. But, hey, it's not long till I will get total domination. And nobody will stop me, really."**  
_

 _Alphys was watching through her console the battle of the Spider Parlor, and oddly foresaw Muffet's death. "Next is M-Metatton. I-I know it", said Alphys, as she called the robot. "M-Mettaton? Y-you're up. J-just...H-hold this t-thing off for as long a-as you c-can." Mettaton could only say, at the other end of the line, *Alphys. Even if I die, I won't die in vain. If you can't really bear to watch this, don't. I know you're already broken because of Undyne, darling. Whatever happens, know that you're the best friend I've ever had.* Mettaton said, ending the call and shutting his phone after this. Alphys could do nothing more than burst into tears in front of the console. Asgore must've heard his scientist's sobs, because he came down and placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder. She was startled to see such a display of friendship from her king, but thanked him anyways. "Y-Your H-Highness, I-I am glad y-you're b-by my s-side.", she said through sobs. "Isn't it what friends do, my dear Royal Scientist? They encourage one another. And a king makes no exception in encouraging his subjects in their times of need."  
Alphys flinched for a bit hearing the words she used to get from Undyne, _**"Alphys. Isn't that what friends are for?"** _and tears broke again on her face. The king kept telling her reassuring words, an aura of determination surrounding him yet again. He even told her the most encouraging of speeches a king could ever give in a reign, and Alphys's sobs were slowly stopping. She even managed to form a small smile on her face, grateful to serve under such a gentle and powerful leader. "K-King Asgore...Queen T-Toriel would be p-proud of you.", Alphys said, with a warm resonance in her timbre. "I-If she could see y-you now, I k-know s-she would've f-forgiven you." Asgore felt a pang in his heart hearing the name of his beloved, but he was thankful for the small comfort Alphys offered him. "Yes, probably," he said with a soft sigh. "But knowing my Tori...she's way fierce to forgive what I did so easily...I often thought of killing myself". Alphys's expression changed to a shocked one, a surge of resolute conviction filling her veins, throwing off any signs of shyness. "King Asgore, you shouldn't even think about this! You did this to give us all hope. Even if she didn't agree with your way to see things, she wouldn't want you to kill yourself over her! I know she would suffer. " Alphys herself experienced this feeling, on more than one occasion, and Sans was the only one who knew about her attempts of suicide._ **"alph, what the heck? you did it just because you're afraid undyne will reject you or what? listen up, lizardo. if there's one thing i know, i can see the way you look at her. and,** _continued Sans with a chuckle,_ **i could see how she's lookin' at ya'. i betcha she'd suffer. and i hate seeing that.** " _That sole memory was the only one that gave her strength whenever she was falling down the proverbial rabbit hole.  
_

 _In this whole time, Mettaton was prepairing himself in the CORE. *There's no way this thing is going to pass me.* The CORE was signficantly modified, so Chara would get lost for a while and be exhausted to fight Mettaton. Mettaton also hired some monsters to fight the demon child, as a second resort solution should they find the right way. Chara wasn't very impressed on the display of strength those monsters showed. **"Will these idiot monsters stop resisting already? I'm just too strong for them.** It was somehow strange that she finally managed, after a long hour, to reach the final chamber of the CORE. Mettaton was sitting there, faint robotic sounds emitting from him, when he finally started speaking:_ _  
_

 _-_ *So you finally arrived. I realised something ghastly...YOU'RE NOT JUST A THREAT TO MONSTERS... BUT HUMANITY, AS WELL.*  
\- **Do you even think I care about humanity? All of them will be as dead as you will.  
\- ***There's something you haven't accounted for,* _continued Mettaton._ *As any true fan would know...I was first created as a HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT.*  
 **\- Really? You don't seem that dangerous to me,** _continued Chara with an evil chuckle._ **In fact, you're quite the opposite.  
\- ***However, those original functions have never been fully removed. I can't wait to test them...on YOU. So, please...Smile for the camera!*

 _Mettaton was ready to fight a human till the end, if needed, and he threw laser beams at the child's SOUL, along with bombs. The laser beams were rather difficult to avoid for Chara, as she couldn't really predict his movements. Mettaton, being a robot, could calculate almost precisely as to where Chara would be in their next strike. A bomb was landing next to her right just as she was thinking where to kill the robot, and she could just barely escape. Soot from the explosion was covering her face, but the evil grin wasn't getting any smaller. **"Jeez, what a sneaky robot. I guess you're forcing me to bring out a lot more power, just so you could tire me? Predictable, for a robot."  
** Chara began to be a lot more agile, avoiding better and better Mettaton's bombs and laser beams. He realised that he couldn't hold much longer, his batteries would really run out in the next minutes. **"Let me guess,"** started Chara, **"I won't have any toy to play with anymore?"** , but Mettaton continued to fire at her while saying nothing else than *_ _ _Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish!? ... or do you just believe in yourself that much?_ *.  
_

 _-_ **Truth is...YES, I believe in myself that much,** _Chara lashed out repeatedly at the robot's metallic body, his arms falling off rapidly.  
\- _*A.. arms? Wh... who needs arms with legs like these? I'm still going to win!* _  
_ **\- Right, keep believing that, you pile of metal. You're going to the scrap yard,** _she said as she dug the knife in Mettaton's metal core.  
_ \- *Gh... Guess you don't want to join my fanclub...?* _Mettaton said before crashing to the ground._

 _Peeking from the door of the CORE's final room, a pair of eyesockets was watching the Mettaton battle. He hoped that Mettaton would be luckier than Muffet, and that he wouldn't die. But seeing how the robot was turned to a pile of metal, all he could think of was "shit. the whole thing is now on me. heh.", a smile forming on the skeleton's face. "finally. i can't wait to give this kid a hell of a time. they'll just beg to be spared, and it ain't gonna happen. i don't forgive dirty brother killers."  
From her console, Alphys was bursting again in full tears. She was hoping as much as Sans that the battle will end in Mettaton's favor, but seeing how the robot's body was completely shattered, she just went to Asgore's room and told him the grim news, between sobs. "I-I'm s-sorry, K-King A-Asgore. Mettaton failed. I-It's all up to S-Sans."  
_

 _Chara's victories were embittering Frisk's conscience once again. "Just, stop with this already! How many more do you want to kill before you're fully satisfied?", at which Chara retaliated **"Do I really need to remind you, Frisk, that it was your wish in the first place? Look at everything we've accomplished. Everyone is afraid of us! Nobody will pick on us anymore! Wasn't that what you wanted? Look at how your hatred towards humanity made everything possible! Come on, bask in the glory of our victories, smell the dust of monsters, enjoy the silence around us. "**  
_

 _Sans was now returning to the Judgement Hall, as he heard the phone ringing once again. He recognized Alphys's caller ID, and decided to pick up, only for his rage to get toned down by the incessant sobs at the other end:  
_

\- alph, what happened?  
\- Undyne...Mettaton...I...I-I want to kill myself, _said Alphys, with a great amount of sadness in her voice.  
_ \- damn. stop that, alph. you're the strongest person i've ever met. well, apart from asgore. so stop with the self-blame, cause it's not your fucking fault.  
\- S-Sans, I-I can't get it. H-how can y-you say that? I-it's m-my fault, _Alphys said, between sobs._  
\- alph, listen, lizardo. you saved almost everyone else's ass already. i get you're scared cause i'm the final line. please, prepare asgore for the worst. i know the big guy wouldn't want to fight, but he gotta do it, said _Sans, in a voice seemingly colder than before._  
\- S-Sans...  
\- remember what you and asgore told me earlier? i'm the judge. that brat ain't getting past me. they'll beg for mercy. and they ain't gonna get it, trust me.  
\- S-Sans...j-just...b-be careful, a-alright? _Alphys said, as if she was ready for another round of crying.  
_ \- yeah, i'll be, alph. don't ya' worry. i'm full of righteous rage. and that is something only a judge knows. you're the scientist. you'd rather not fight, but even ya know when you just gotta pick up the sword _, Sans said.  
\- _Heheh...y-you're right, S-Sans. _Alphys said, with a brim smile in her voice, as she held back the tears that were threatening to spill over._

 _Sans ended the call, as he didn't want to upset Alphys even more. He genuinely cared for the young female lizard, as they shared the common passion for science, and knew what was like to end up in a depressed state of mind. Papyrus was the only reason Sans was smiling much more than he used to do, but with his younger brother gone, the smiles were just a thing of the past. "if i drop here, alph will really be alone. and...sorry old lady, that's why i hate making promises."  
_


	7. Chapter Six: A Judge's Wrath

**A/N: Another day, another update! The first part of our so far, intriguing tale, is about to end.  
I might add that Sans is a tad out of character - he's going to be full fit on rage, and there's some swearing included. meh. :)  
This is another long chapter.  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The Judgement Hall was covered in a shining bright light, coming through the Delta-runed windows. Darkness didn't beckon until here, because only the purest of hearts would thread on these sacred halls. Sans was thinking back on all his friends that died so he could remain alive to stand off the darkness. The old lady whose name he didn't know. His brother, Papyrus. His boss, Undyne. Everyone just died for nothing, trying to stand against a child that had no intention on showing mercy towards those poor, damned souls that had to live in the Underground for centuries on end. He got sick of all this, seeing this again and again, the whole destruction of monsterkind and humanity alike. "that's it. i'm really fed up seeing this, all over again. there's no such thing as mercy for a murderer that exterminates an entire race in cold blood. it's judgement time.", he thought as the pinpricks left his eyesockets, a hollow grin forming on his face._

 _Chara didn't really know what was up in store for her, as she decided on first taunt that the comedian wasn't much of a challenger for her strength. **"One final push, and I'm going to kill As-my father. He deserves to die, as much as that traitor Asriel does."** Chara was thinking, putting in each step a greater force than needed. "Your father?" Frisk's conscience began to resurface. "You're bent on killing your father? Wow, that's a new low. And just when I thought you can't get far psychotic that you're now." Frisk's conscience was growing back inside the SOUL. **"You're taunting me on my family? What about your family? I know what they did-"** Chara retaliated, only for Frisk's conscience to bring out the pleasant memories of Toriel. "Maybe my original parents never did any good for me, but she did." Frisk's conscience began changing in his original body, just so he could form a small smile. **"Didn't I tell you not to trust anyone. And what are you doing now? Trying to find reasons to trust these monsters. Just, how many times do you want me to repeat myself? THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED. THEY WILL ALL KILL YOU. You're really dumb, Frisk."**_ _Chara snarled._ _"Their dying words are still in my mind. Still, if you say so...let's just continue on with the journey. I am still not so sure if my wrath is well directed."_  
 _Up until this point, Chara was so confident in her forces. Her LV was 19, and she felt proud seeing the dust on her clothes that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. As she reached the capital, the sky turned darker, blocking almost all the light that was shining brilliantly. Sans noticed the lights' fading and figured the kid arrived in town, "hmph. they arrived earlier than i thought." he said as he zipped his jacket and his left eye began glowing cyan. "can't wait to see the kid's face."_

The capital was empty, thanks to Alphys and Asgore's efforts, so Chara couldn't gain any more EXP. _**"Damnit! They knew and everyone just left. Ah. Screw them, they'll get erased anyway."**_ She wandered for quite a long time, hoping she would find at least a tiny monster to slash with her knife, but the moment she saw the castle, memories came flooding back.  
 **"- **Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face!**  
 **- AHHHHH! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on...**  
 **- I'm not going to do that again, Asriel, heheh.**  
 **- What!? You're not gonna do it again...?**  
 **- No, in fact I will!**  
 **- Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!"****

"- **Do you remember when we tried to make butterscotch pie, Asriel?**  
\- **What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter... But we accidentally put in buttercups instead.**  
\- **Yeah, I know.**  
- **Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did... Um, anyway, where are you going with this?**   
\- **Turn off that damn thing, Asriel...**  
\- **Huh? Turn off the camera...? OK.** "

 _Frisk could see the memories playing as well. He realised Asriel was the goat child that was holding the camera, and Chara's malevolent influence was still present, even in her life. He could sense the kindness in that child's voice, and he remembered his own. "I can't really believe you just refused his company." stated Frisk, a playful smirk forming on their face. **"What the hell do you think you know about me?"** Chara hissed at him. **"It would be better for you if you'd just stop playing the moral judge with me. You're not innocent here either. "** the demon child concluded, driving Frisk's conscience back. It seemed that Frisk was nothing more than a witness to hell, and now he was burning in this hell with the choice he made at the beginning of this route, by allowing Chara full control over him. But a human's conscience and remorse can carry that much guilt, and Frisk could feel the pang of guilt hanging on their SOUL and mind. **"We're at the edge of power, Frisk. Together we managed to grow chaos. To make people suffer. They made us all suffer. Why would you choose to refuse all that power? You've always wanted to be strong, to fight back, to teach everyone a lesson. Rage was willfully consuming you. Come on, you will soon have all the power you need. You'll eradicate this world, alongside me."  
** As Chara reached the big castle's door, she felt a ever-growing aura of rage. She couldn't really pinpoint who could've harnessed such an aura, but she thought that, whoever it was, won't be that much of a challenge. The castle's hallways were empty, except for the Delta Rune banner hanging from wall to wall, and the fading lights that were breaking through the small windows. From one of the windows, she could see the garden. It was full of golden flowers, but given the fact they hadn't been tended for the last few days, a good part of them started to wilt. Suddenly, more memories came back. "_ **Chara... Can you hear me? We want you to wake up..." "** **Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up! You are the future of humans and monsters..."** **"** **... Psst... Chara... Please... Wake up... I don't like this plan anymore. I... I... ... no, I said... I said I'd never doubt you."** _Again, Frisk saw the memories, and he faintly remembered the second phrase. He recalled someone was telling him to stay determined. "That voice!..." was all he could say, out of fear he would again be put in place by Chara. **"I'm letting you guess who he was. Nevertheless, he will die as well."** Chara said, as she continued her way from that window. The ever-growing aura of rage was getting closer and closer, and she gave out a faint chuckle. **"Wow, that's an amazing amount of rage. I can feel it, and I like it!"** For some reason, Frisk felt threatened of that aura, it was like the whole journey was coming to an end, to some sort of final battle. The Determination that flew in Chara's blood filled him as well, and an evil smirk played along his lips as well. "I can't wait to see how this ends," said Frisk, now fully filled with Chara's influence, due to the rising amounts of Determination in her blood.  
_

 _"wow. i can feel the kid's aura," Sans was reflecting on what was going to break down here, in Judgement Hall. "they're real, real dark. filled with abyss, hate and destruction. can't believe freakin' gaster was right about a darker influence plaguing the timelines." Sans could only remember good things, just to remind himself what he was fighting for, and that he wasn't going to show mercy. A big grin was forming on his face, knowing he will enjoy every moment of this showdown, no matter the outcome. He zipped his jacket and placed on his face a comical grin to greet his enemy, eager to get some answers before turning this demon to ashes. The light in the room became almost equal as Chara was drawing nearer the final corridor. The birds were chirping, as if not really aware of what was going to go down here, but even that sign was a hope for the better, and Sans could do nothing but cling on that final hope. At long last, Chara walked in, the aura growing in her greater than before, bloody knife in her hand and same ol' twisted grin on her demoniac face. In that very instant, oddly, the birds' chirping stopped, leaving place for a dampening silence between Chara and Sans. Frisk's conscience was resurging in the presence of such a mighty display of righteous fury, but Chara shooed his pretenses of morality.  
_

\- so, kid. we see one another again. i hate to make promises, but you know...i promised ya' you'll be dead right where you stand.  
 **\- Wow. So you're the one filled with that ever-growing aura of rage. Surprising. I never would've guessed,** _said Chara, an evil chuckle leaving her.  
\- _ya' know, i want some answers. i have a real _bone_ to pick with you.  
 **\- Your puns are stupid. And what kind of answers do you expect from me?  
\- **i want to know why the heck you go on with this game. you give us monsters a happy ending and then RESET, as if you weren't fucking happy.  
\- **Yeah, I didn't exterminate everyone, like I should've done. So I'm glad for this RESET.  
** \- you promised me, kid. you promised me you won't RESET at all.  
\- **Wow, you're really naive, Sans. That was a lie.  
** \- you should know one thing kid...i hate being lied to. that's a new low for you. but enough of this, i got my answers. now, you'll burn...in hell.  
 **\- I'm hell itself, do you think your stupid threat scares me?** _  
-_ i still need to pass my judgement, kid, _said Sans, in an almost scary tone._ you killed a lot...you gained a lot of EXP and LOVE. heck, you pretty much rushed to get those _EXecution Points_ , just to increase further and further your _Level Of ViolencE._ you're pretty detached about killing someone, kiddo, and dare i say you didn't kill just for fun.  
 **\- Are you done yet, idiot? I just want to kill you and go further.  
** \- i knew you were going to say that. you just want to see me burning you to a crisp. heh. i won't deny you the show.

 _Chara twirled in her hand the Toy Knife, the grin in her face wider than a hell's gate, as she lunged towards the small skeleton, only for him to push her back with a Gaster Blaster. The soot was fully covering her clothes, and her hair caught a bit of fire. "you are REALLY not going to like what happens next." said Sans, his left eye glowing a bright cyan. "that was just a warning shot for ya'." Chara's health dropped to half after that full shot, but she was still standing, determined to kill the skeleton. **"Do you really think I'm just going to give up so easily?"** she hissed angrily. "nah, i know you ain't. but i really have to say a lotta things to you. i've been waiting just for this moment. so, lemme start." He put up his hand towards her, and she instantly felt herself covered in a purple glow. "your sins will kill ya. slowly." Sans said, with a small grin on his face. Chara lunged again towards him, but he managed to dodge the attack. "what? you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it?" Sans grinned even more. **"Where's your mighty speech that you planned on? "** said Chara, obviously exhausted from the effort she was putting up against Sans. "oh, yeah. that. so, kiddo, tell me. why the heck would you RESET?!" his voice almost similar to a lion's roar, as he lifted her body up and smashed it with all his force on the ground. **"Cause I want to make all of them suffer, over and over.",**_ _said Chara, with a faint, but evil voice. "wow, you're really a piece of shit." Sans continued as he hit her with another well timed Gaster Blaster. Chara fell to the ground, and in that moment, Sans thought it was all over. But...Chara wasn't going to give up just yet. **"You idiot. You forgot I have DETERMINATION. You can't really kill me. And there's nobody left to help you. You'll die by my hand, eventually."  
**  
Sans kept grinning, his left eye glowing even brighter, while he summoned two Gaster Blasters at once. "it doesn't make any difference to me kid. if i have to fight you a thousand times, i will do so. you don't fucking deserve to live." His shots were well aimed, as Chara felt one of her legs burning with pain, and her right hand fingers as well. "you killed my brother, you killed undyne. heck, you'd kill even asgore. and i'm not gonna let you do that. i still don't fucking get it what made you hate everyone." Karmic Retribution was still flowing in Chara's veins, affecting Frisk's conscience as well. "you had a family, you ungrateful little creep. you had everything someone would want. but no, you just decided to toy with our lives, over and over. RESET-ing whenever you like."  
Somehow, the Karmic Retribution's influence on Frisk made him recall the pure good intentions he originally had. But how could he convince anyone that he deserved repentance? That it wasn't him that killed everyone? Sans continued to hit upon Chara, but he realized he won't be able to kill this child so easily. Frisk, in a moment of simple despair, took control over his body. Chara didn't know how he did that exactly, and she felt like this was going to end bad for her. "_SANS! WAIT!" _said Frisk, but the moment Sans shot him with another Gaster Blaster, the control over his body was gone. "wait for what, kiddo? wait to give you the final strike? heheh, that ain't gonna happen." Sans's eyesockets became darker and he shot with five Gaster Blasters at once. But Chara's will was so strong, she wouldn't give up at all, and Frisk was at a total loss on how to redeem himself._

 _ **"Frisk? What the hell are you doing?!"** Chara yelled. "I'm doing the right thing. What I had to do in the first place. Erase my memories. But...I will keep the memories of your control, wretched brat. I want Sans to know I wasn't fully responsible of everything." Frisk said, lowering his head, regaining some control over his body. "SANS. FREAKING WAIT. I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. " Frisk yelled towards the small skeleton, but Sans decided to play in as well. "what is it, bucko? you wanna be my friend? cause i was really hoping for this to happen. c'mere pal. I wanna hug you." The moment Frisk went hugging Sans, he just shot a massive ray from a bigger Gaster Blaster. "geeeett dunked on, you asshole. do everyone a fucking favor and don't come back." Frisk was really upset that Sans was at an edge, not wanting to listen to reason. But he had to make that skeleton listen to him, as it was important. "woah, you look pretty upset. and you came back. it must mean you ain't my friend." Sans grinned as six Gaster Blasters were prepairing to fire. "SANS. WAIT. PLEASE. Before you doom me to hell, just listen. I get why you are wrathful. I killed your friends. All of them. And you suffered. But...I wasn't fully responsible of these actions." Sans wasn't really taking any of this, as he didn't want to believe it, but he let the kid continue. "I accepted the offer of a demon. I accepted killing, by being given a false hope of power. With all the silence surrounding me, guilt was starting to wear upon me. Trust me when I say I didn't want to kill anyone! It's all Chara's fault." Sans shushed the kid, a grim look forming on his face. "why the heck should I believe you, you piece of shit? You pulled RESET after RESET, and you expect me to believe you? woah, you must be pretty stupid, kiddo." but just as he finished that sentence, Frisk pulled out the SOUL, Chara watching from the corner of his mind. " **THAT was what you were expecting to do? ...** **I can't even control a single** **idiot."  
**_

 _Frisk kept out the SOUL, telling Sans to watch all of the unfolding memories. And even though he would judge Frisk for accepting the pact, Frisk wanted to repent for his sins, as guilt was weighing so heavy on his heart already. All this route taught him was that violence will always pull more violence. "I will understand if even after this you'll still want to kill me. I deserve it, Sans. I have no reason to avoid rightful punishment. Chara, on the other hand, the thing you called a demon child...she has all the reasons to avoid punishment. Sans. You have to remember that whenever a Frisk turns into a hellbent killer, is Chara's control. Trust me." Frisk finished as he left the SOUL hovering over his palms. He didn't want Chara to influence it in any way anymore. "first off", began Sans, "how do you know about the other timelines? nobody else knows them, apart from me, and apparently, you." Sans was expecting an answer, and it didn't come late, "I know because I could see glimpses from Chara's memories. I could see... how she exterminated other timelines. And each time she managed to do that, she just wanted her vessel's SOUL. In this case, I'm now her vessel. And should this route succeed, she'll ask for my SOUL as well. But I'm DETERMINED to cease this route. I was really stupid when I agreed to a demon's pact. I didn't realise the circumstances that would come with it." Frisk finished saying to Sans, who was now supporting himself off a column in the Judgement Hall. "really, kid. i'm...i'm really bony-fied as to what to believe. all this damn time you were just a tool for the anomaly i've been researching? crap. look. i'm really not sure if you're telling the damn truth. but i'm going to respect your request, because i'm decent. i appreciate you're not running away from your sins." Sans smiled to Frisk.  
_

 _Perhaps that was the only thing that made him sure Frisk was now talking to him. He knew Frisk, of all the pacifist timelines - the ones that weren't altered - would always say sorry for what they did. They'd always repent even for the smallest of things. Because they never wanted to see anyone hurt or upset. Frisk, now in full posession of their body, placed themselves in front of the six Gaster Blaster that appeared in front of him, all set. "any last words, kid? just..." Sans trailed off, seeing Frisk's genuine smile at what Sans was about to do. "Sans. You're great. You helped me do the right thing. And I hope that in turn, you'll do the right thing. Even if you'll be haunted by all the genocide timelines, know that Frisk is always the meaning of a Pacifist Route. And Chara's the meaning for a Genocide Route. Frisk will always be your friend. As I am too. And I'm sorry for killing everyone you loved here. Give the next Frisk a chance to see evil is real." Genocide Frisk finished as the rays of the Gaster Blaster burned them off, the only thing left behind being their SOUL. Sans pulled out one of the containers Asgore used to keep the soul, and preserved it there. He then picked up his phone and called Alphys, but the only thing coming in was the voice mail. Perhaps Alphys was sick of seeing all her friends die, she didn't think Sans would make it. "H-hi. You reached A-Alphys' voice mail. Leave a message after the beep." The beep sound followed, and Sans began saying "alph. the kid is dead. but i want to show you guys something-" only for him to hear someone picking up the phone and be shortly interrupted by a familiar voice:  
_

\- S-Sans?! H-How is that possible?! _Alphys shrieked at the other end of the line.  
_ \- i did it, lizardo. but it's important you see this stuff. it might change our future forever.  
\- I-I still d-don't u-nderstand h-how you s-survived!  
\- oh, it's an interesting tale. hold on, i'm coming to you.

 _Sans used his all familiar shortcut, holding the container with Geno Frisk's soul, and knocked on Alphys's lab door. He barely made a step in, that the lizard scientist just jumped to hug him, out of pure uncertainty he was really alive and well. "whoa, easy there, friendo. i said i'll be fine, but ya don't have to be so rattled." Asgore came along, relieved that the small skeleton was alive. "You did well, young Sans. You've proven to me that I chose well the Judge. I can still feel an aura of wrath on you, is something wrong?", but the moment he saw the container the skeleton was carrying, he stepped back, looking for a chair in which he'd just get flat. "Is...is that a human soul?", the king asked, emotions of disbelief and shock running on his face. "it's going to be a rather long talk, so i'd prefer you SAVE your questions for later. alph, you might wanna sit down too." Sans motioned to the scientist, as she took a chair and sat. Sans began telling the story, albeit he was still shocked himself from the experience he's been through.  
_

 _"so, here's the deal. i was waiting for the kid, cause i was anxious to give them a heck of hell time and punish them rightly. they put up quite a fight and revived a few times before me. shit, they had a lot of DETERMINATION. they weren't going to quit so darn easy. but then this crap happens. out of no-fucking-where, there's this voice, like a boy's one, telling me shit like they were controlled and yada yada, they weren't responsible for the murders they commited." As Sans was saying this part of the story, both scientist and king shared the same expression, that of utter confusion, and Sans chuckled seeing that on their faces. "i get your faces. so yeah, i was pretty much on the proverbial fence with this. but then the kid pulls out their SOUL and shows me every damn thing that happened on the route. every word, every whisper. and that's why i was kinda adamant to show you. i just can't explain anything, so i'd rather show ya." Sans said, opening the container and pulling out the red glowing SOUL. "just, put your hands on it. you'll hear and see everything."  
_

 _The first memories playing out were the ones with Toriel. Asgore was visibly marked from seeing his beloved wife, but he kept watching, and Alphys was interested in seeing what came next, holding a paw over her king's shaking ones. "King Asgore. Stay strong." she said as she gave out a small smile. For the time being, it seemed like the child grew for Toriel, until they heard the voice. The voice urging Frisk to kill everyone, the voice that tentatively seduced him to the darker side of life. Asgore could feel the hatred rising in the child. And then it came down to the FIGHT with Toriel._ "You...at my most vulnerable...now I know who I was protecting...I was protecting them from you." _Asgore's heart shattered hearing the voice of his wife, seeing her die right before his eyes. The trident spawned instantly in his paws, consuming rage filling him deep inside, but Sans gave him a stern look, "asgore. king asgore. that's only a memory of this route. your anger serves for nothing. cool it off."  
Alphys kept one of her paws on the king's paw holding the trident, trying to calm him down. "I-I understand w-what y-you feel. I do. B-but, like Sans s-said, it d-doesn't help. P-please, don't get a-angry for n-nothing." At Alphys's words, Asgore seemed to regain his posture, and went on watching the rest of memories unfolding. Papyrus was now dying in front of them, and then Undyne - to whom Asgore had displayed a fireball growing in his hand, fury unyielding in his eyes, but was again toned down by Alphys and Sans' pleas. Alphys was also shedding some tears on the Undyne memory, and then the two males reassured her with encouraging words - after all this, Muffet and Mettaton's deaths were unraveling, Alphys tearing a bit from the Mettaton's death memory.  
And then it came, the final battle. Alphys was quite shocked at how well Sans was fairing in battle against such a thing, prompting her to say "Sans. You never told me you were that strong!", to which Sans just left out a small grin. "alph. ya don't know that much about me. but heck, i did give the kid a bad time. what comes next is going to screw your minds over. trust me. it cracked my skull already." They heard Frisk's voice telling them exactly everything he told Sans. But, in the moment Frisk pulled out his SOUL, Asgore recognized, in utter horror, the silhouette that was profiling next to them. "C-Chara?!" Asgore was literally collapsing in front of the SOUL. To know that one of his dead children was behind all the extermination...Alphys was worried sick for the king's state, and she could swear that he couldn't just process all this, the look on his face showing a myriad of emotions: rage, disbelief, sadness and confusion. Sans's left eye was still glowing and he could feel the rage boiling in the king's blood. "asgore. i can see your kid was nothin' but an ungrateful little dipshit." Alphys shot a shocked glare at Sans's foul language, but she could understand that he was just voicing out the roaring rage that flew in the monster sovereign's veins. "you have all the bloody right to be full of rage. but geno frisk wanted ya to know all this because he cared for us at his very end." Asgore's eyes were still burning crimson, the words weren't getting in his heart. There was no way to convince the king to give up on his anti-human policy, now that he knew Chara was behind all this._

\- K-King Asgore, I c-can see t-that look in your eyes...you w-will not s-spare any c-children that w-will fall d-down here, _Alphys began to say._ H-however, G-Geno F-Frisk was still a k-kind c-child. T-they d-didn't l-lie to us. T-they d-decided to e-erase themselves f-from t-this existence because they d-didn't d-deserve mercy, and t-they knew that. They p-passed on t-their soul t-to Sans so he c-could prevent the Genocide Route.  
\- They really didn't deserve any mercy, _growled Asgore._ But you are right, Alphys. Their choice eventually showed they were willing to pay for their sins. But...my child...didn't want to do so. Chara never admitted being at fault for anything. Every memory, every word we heard here today...it really opened my eyes as to what kind of kid I was caring for alongside Asriel and Tori, A _sgore's gaze began faltering, tears forming in his eyes._ Sans, do you think there's any real salvation for us? _the king asked the young skeleton, whose big grin never ceased, remembering Geno Frisk's last words.  
_ \- yup. there is a real salvation, and that's preventing the genocide route. this frisk was really a hero. a repentant hero, if you want to. i remember seeing that somewhere, but to experience it for real...either way. the kid really saved what's left of us monsterkind here. we just gotta make sure this shit doesn't ever, ever, EVER happen again.


	8. -- GENOCIDE TALE END --

**A Judge's Wrath is the Genocide Arc's final chapter, therefore ending the Genocide Route's Tale.  
**

 **For now, I will keep working on the Pacifist Arc.  
I hope you'll stay on your toes.  
**

 **Updates will come in a longer time than usual. :)**

 **Sans: until the next time, kiddos.**


	9. PACIFIST ROUTE BEGIN!

**Hello, my lovely readers!  
I am going to oficially start the Pacifist Route. (It is going to be a lot longer than the Genocide Route, obv.)**

For the sake of discrepancies, the Pacifist Route chapters will contain PR before them: (PR) [Chapter Name Here], for example.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I'm going to pick up where Genocide left our remaining heroes in the story.  
Pacifist Frisk will make an appearance later on, it's a promise.

 **I decided that chapter one of the pacifist route will be separated into two parts.  
First part talks about the decisions of Geno Asgore, Sans and Alphys as they seek out a solution to warn Pacifist Frisk about what's to come next.  
Part two...well guess for yourselves :p**

 **I'm going to post the first part of Pacifist Route's Chapter One after this Author's Note.**

 **\- enjoy :P**


	10. (PR) Decisions With Wounds (Part One)

**DECISIONS WITH WOUNDS  
\- PART ONE OF PACIFIST ROUTE'S CHAPTER ONE: REALITY OF EVIL -  
**

 **TW: Asgore's suicide attempt.  
**

* * *

 _Sans, Asgore and Alphys of the Genocide Route were standing at a round table, deciding on the new course for Monsterkind. It was obvious, by the look on their faces, that they didn't really come up with a permanent solution to prevent the Genocide Route from ever happening. Their debate was already going on for a few days, with Sans reluctantly uncovering the few researches he conducted on his own, along with Alphys's own results from the past Determination experiments, and Asgore did nothing but take note of everything his most trusted subjects told him. He would often place a question or two towards Sans, and then he would turn to Alphys for more detail, shaking his head whenever there was a solution that involved something hazardous. Asgore was completely determined not to risk their lives - Sans could've been dead if it wasn't for Frisk's desperate attempt at a late repentance, and he didn't want Alphys to place herself as a subject to experiment whatever solution was coming to their minds. Yes, the debate turned, as of this day, a complete stand-and-stare thing, with nothing else to think about. The remaining lucky monsters were pacing outside the king's garden, awaiting for their now three leaders to take a decision, rumors beginning to spread amongst them. Some of them thought that their leaders would warrant their deaths, because Asgore refused to use Geno Frisk's SOUL as an addition to the other six collected SOULs to become godlike, and others were sure that the three leaders would come up with something to set them free.  
The outside noise of quarelling monsters was loud enough to reach the chamber of the round table, and Alphys decided to take out and separate the two sides before it turned into a civil war. She ran towards the gardens, where the two sides of monsters were standing, gritting teeth at one another. "STOP THIS INSTANT," Alphys roared. The monsters were perplexed seeing the small lizard scientist emitting an aura of rage and determination, her eyes squinting at each and every monster that dared to contradict her, and they ceased their prattle, all eyes were on her. "I can understand your fury and your fumbling, but a civil war is something we all want to AVOID. We're trying our best to find a solution."_

\- But you're all talking there for days! We're done waiting for a solution! _said a monster.  
\- _Wa ha ha, you'd better keep your mouth shut, _Gerson silenced the monster._ May I be of help, young leader?  
\- Gerson, please, come in, _Alphys motioned towards the old tortoise._ **  
**

 _In that instant, monsters made place for Gerson "The Hammer of Justice" and nobody dared to say another word. His words made monsters understand that quarelling amongst each other would not solve anything, and waiting is the wisest of decisions. As the old tortoise entered the castle, he noted the Delta-runed banners hanging on the walls, bright as they were in the days of the war, and the castle's corridors were all basked in the twilight's soft embrace, light was shining even in the darkest of corners. He felt proud to walk again on these halls, as he remembered times of war, times of peace._ **"Gerson. You're my most trusted warrior, I count on you to lead the main assault against the humans."** _In that day, he remembered Queen Toriel standing over the map as she told him this. Even though he wasn't quite sure a woman could singlehandedly plan a war, Asgore trusted her completely, and so had to do any lieutenant or warrior. Asgore was on troop inspection that day, so she was the general in command until his return. When he saw Alphys as a young leader, that reminded him of Toriel's fierce commands in the war._ **"Wa ha ha! As you command, your Highness. All of our warriors are proud to serve under an iron-willed leader such as yourself, Queen Toriel."** _"Heheh", thought Gerson, "she blushed a bit hearing that, as most warriors were quite biased towards her. However, she proved her worth when she, on her own stance, kept at bay an attacking band of humans during the war. I hope Alphys will do her best as a leader, as Toriel did." Alphys was trying to keep up with the old tortoise, understanding that he was old and he couldn't really move that fast, when Gerson asked her a question that almost rendered her speechless:  
_

\- Did you know you remind me of Queen Toriel? She was young as you were when she took up the position of leadership. Wa ha ha, _he said with a soft smile forming on his old face.  
_ \- I'm... _began Alphys, at a true loss of words. To be compared with the wife of King Asgore, that's really a huge compliment - especially coming from a tortoise that's centuries old. However, she did manage to find back her words, realising quite fast she wasn't really worthy of that compliment - she didn't want to be compared with anyone. ..._ I appreciate your compliment, Gerson. I'm truly flattered, but I'm not to be compared with Queen Toriel - I'm nothing like her. I'm just a mere scientist in a higher position, with a greater responsablity than the Determination research.  
\- Wa ha ha, I am impressed, Alphys. Yes...you're definitely stronger than you thought! _Gerson said, placing one of his paws on the lizard's shoulder._ _  
_\- This is not really the time to question my abilities, Gerson, _Alphys gently pushed away the tortoise's paw._ I called for you here because me, Sans and King Asgore need some advice, and you're the only one with enough historical knowledge to give us a different perspective _.  
_

 _As they finally reached the Judgement Hall, light was shining brighter through the Delta-runed windows. Alphys felt a shudder running through her spine, knowing that here, Sans was at the edge of being killed, and that here Frisk gave up his life in service for monsterkind. She decided that Geno Frisk needed some sort of memorial deep within the castle - she knew that most monsters would probably disagree to having a monument raised for a killer, but it was necessary that everyone knew he wasn't fully responsible of what he did. Gerson noted the hesitation in Alphys's movements, and he once again placed his paw on her shoulder. "Young one, is something troubling you?" Gerson tried to ask Alphys, but the lizard scientist refused to answer his question, saying instead "You'll learn everything when we reach The Chamber of the Round Table. Sans and King Asgore are waiting for us." Speaking of the two, the two male monsters were making small chat over many things - ranging from Asgore's tea to how well Sans could fare against any opponent - but it helped them occupy time before Gerson would come in, alongside Alphys. Asgore knew far too well his old friend was moving slow, and waiting for him made patience a very important virtue in any monster, and Sans couldn't help cracking some bad puns to make the king smile - after all, the guy saw his wife dying right in front of his eyes, and it was still haunting him. "Tori...forgive me." was all that Asgore was muttering under his breath, before lowering his head and letting out a few tears. Sans was shocked at this breakdown from the king - he knew Asgore rarely showed signs of depression - and advised the great monster to retreat for a rest.  
_

 _Sans was obviously worried for the king's state, as he could see the sorrow that was worming on Asgore's face, but that feeling of worry began dissipating when Sans was convinced this was just a side effect to what they've been witnessing today. As Asgore finally reached his room, after a long walk through the throne room and to the castle elevator, the monster king was finally giving in to the darkest of thoughts that formed in his mind. "If she's dead and gone, what's the point I'm alive here, without her?" he pondered, abandoning his large purple cape and the heavy iron armor he was usually wearing, changing in a pair of black pants and a grey shirt he didn't usually wear. "I want to make this quick, so nobody will know." he whispered to himself, as he went in the living room and picked up one of his gardening knives, aiming to cut one of his wrists - which he did. Pain was bearable, but the blood was dripping in a river. In the Chamber of The Round Table, Sans felt something was wrong - Asgore hadn't returned in like, half hour already - and Alphys had to come in mere minutes or so. "shit. he did not..." Sans thought as he used the shortcut to reach out Asgore's house. Opening the door, he saw the giant monster with a slit wrist, blood dripping faster, lying on the living room's floor. "asgore. buddy...why the heck would you do this to yourself..." whispered Sans to him as he shortcutted for a large set of bandages, making sure the wrist is well tied up. Asgore was fading in and out of consciousness, but the skeleton tended to him as good as any doctor would've done. "i know you're all screwed up because of what you've seen and you just went down the rabbit hole. but you gotta step out of it. don't give up on yourself." he said to the unconscious king that was now lying on his bed, wrist bandaged. He shortcutted back to the chamber, just when Alphys and Gerson walked in. "Where's the king?" asked Gerson. Sans leaned to Alphys and told her about the attempt of suicide, prompting the lizard scientist to beg for a shortcut. "i'll take ya to him. gerson, wait here. there's somethin' we need to sort out." Sans said as he disappeared with Alphys in a ball of light, towards Asgore's bedroom. The moment Sans opened the door, she ran to the bedside, noticing Asgore's unconsciousness. "What the hell happened, Sans?! Why did you just let him leave like that?" Sans began frowning as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. "trust me, alph. i had no idea he'd be goin' down like that. i told him he'd need a rest and half hour later...found him all cut like that." The young female lizard left out a heavy sigh and hugged the small skeleton. "Sorry. It's just...Seeing him like that, reminds me a lot of what I used to do, when you prevented me. He's lucky you saved him right on time."  
_

 _"shit. how're we going to explain that to the tortoise? he's expecting the king any moment, and we can't really leave asgore here alone. you know...it's possible he might get tempted to try again. " Sans said, his left eye glowing a faint cyan, "it's all that brat's fault. chara's shit is haunting us and destroying us from the inside. frisk did well for showing us the stuff, but it's bad cause asgore here's standing on the edge." He finally decided that Alphys would be a much better guard for Asgore, while he will talk to Gerson about what they needed to know. "i'll brief you both when asgore gets up." Sans said as he used a shortcut._

 _Sans found a slick excuse for why the king was not going to come at the meeting. He offered to listen to all of Gerson's historical knowledge, and the old tortoise happily provided a larger insight on humanity. Sans, even though he was usually lazy, now he was taking notes of every information Gerson was passing down on him, asking questions whenever he didn't understand something. But, after long hours of teaching, Gerson was tired, and he saw the moonlight shining through the windows. The two monsters were tired already of exchanging words with one another. "thanks, old hero. ya' gave me enough to dawdle on. so humans can really access various realms when dreaming, huh? said Sans, who began to leave out yawns and mind his eyes. Gerson smiled faintly, as he was going to pass out on the cold table, and for Sans it was obvious the old monster had only that much energy. Meanwhile, in King Asgore's room, Alphys was still worried for the great king, as she watched him sleep soundly, his chest raising up and down, often frowning, as if he had a nightmare. Sans startled her as he placed a bony hand over her shoulder. "Damnit Sans! You scared the living soul out of me." Alphys said with a frown, her eyes still on the sleeping king. "I'm really afraid for him, Sans. If we leave, he might do anything..." but the small skeleton shushed her and assured that the king won't do anything stupid. "hey, alph. you can stay tonight with me. your lab's pretty far from here, and..." Alphys blushed a bit at Sans's offer, but it was better that she had a companion for this night only. "come on, i know a shortcut." he said as he took her hand and teleported them both to the room Asgore offered him in the castle - it was a small bonus for what he did, and besides, Snowdin was deserted.  
The room had a small window that gave out to the garden, a big bed enough for two, a wardrobe, a lamp...it was comfortable enough for anyone visiting the castle. Sans moved a part of his stuff in this room, and excused himself for the existent mess that was in. "asgore's gonna kill me if he sees this. but tibia honest, i'll clean after everything is done. make yourself at home," Sans cracked a big smile to Alphys, but the lizard scientist was still carrying a sad expression on her face. "oh, come on, what's up, bucko?"  
Alphys couldn't bring herself to say more than a few words. "I just want all this to be done. All those monsters outside want the same thing as us. Some are angry we didn't decide quicker on something. Others were agreeing to the slow motion of things. And...Gerson compared me with Toriel! I am nothing of her caliber. And I long for Undyne only, as Asgore longs for his wife. Sans. I'm glad you told us your researches, but you are holding something back. I'm not sure what that is, but you'd better tell me. Cause, if you're holding back the only hope we have at saving everyone... I will ask King Asgore to execute you himself." Alphys's tone was harsher on that last phrase, and Sans's grin immediately dropped. "we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay, alph?"  
_


	11. (PR) Frisk, Champion of Light (Part Two)

**FRISK, CHAMPION OF LIGHT**  
 **\- PART TWO OF PACIFIST ROUTE'S CHAPTER ONE -**

 **A/N: I would be delighted to see your opinions about my story so far!**

 **Yes, I totally accept reviews \- but please, constructive ones, if you feel like giving out advice.**  
 **I will not tolerate bashing / rude reviews.**

 **Frisk is about to make an appearance in this chapter. He will be suffering from amnesia at first, due to the RESET.**  
 **Asrador is my take on Asgore's father name. (it was a bit difficult for me to come up with the name.)  
Hunt is Frisk's original family name. I'm sorry in advance for whoever bears that family name, but I couldn't come up with a better one.  
**

 **\- Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The morning light was carresing slowly the castle's inhabitants: Gerson, Alphys and Sans, Asgore, and the rest of the monsters that were awaiting for a solution, no matter how desperate, to their never-ending problem. Gerson was still wondering why nobody led him away from the castle, and where was King Asgore, because the old hero was eager to rejoin with his old leader and sovereign. Sans just told him the king was fatigued from the last days of debates and he went to his room, demanding he wouldn't be disturbed. Seeing that Sans was the only one with whom he will be talking this time, Gerson was more than happy to explain to the young skeleton more about humanity, in hopes that his knowledge would really serve the kingdom of monsters one more time - after all, Sans seemed to be the one with so much interest in humans, of all the monsters - well, except Alphys. She was documenting herself by watching anime, which was a completely inaccurate depiction of how humans really were, but it was enjoyable and gave her a small hobby to tinker with, when she was not working on the Determination experiments. Gerson's version about the humans was slightly different - he knew that humans held a great deal of power, and he heard about dreams, as dreams are often paths to places the human mind never explored. Sans kept this idea in mind, as he was working on a machine that would allow him to access ethereal planes, in purpose of finding whatever caused these frequent RESETs - he was now determined to enlist Alphys' help in fixing the machine, as Gaster broke it several years ago. The older, yet scarier scientist found out about Sans's research (though the scientist-to-be skeleton never told anyone) and decided it would best for him not to pursue such irrelevant studies. He was puzzled to this day as to how on earth did Gaster manage to find out about what he was doing._  
 _  
Sans was staying in bed with Alphys, eyesockets wide open, white pinpricks staring at the ceiling, pondering how could he enlist Alphys's help in fixing the machine, but his thoughts were often jumping to King Asgore. The big guy wasn't usually a monster to embrace darkness so easily, so for him to fall into a depression, that was quite unlike him. Sans was used to being depressed, as his state of mind was rather unstable since he witnessed his friends' deaths over and over again. "whatever caused these RESETs, that thing is totally not happy leaving us being happy. i wonder why." he thought as he placed a protective bony hand over Alphys, who left out whimpers - she was most likely having a bad time - and frequently, Undyne's name. In the meantime, Asgore opened his eyes to the stimuli of bright sunlight. His window was open, leaving out the morning's fresh air and the gentle breeze of the wind seep in the room. He noticed, after a moment of processing, that he was in his room. But who saved him? And why? He wanted nothing but to embrace death as a penance - yet someone just stopped him before doing so. "Well, it means Tori's..." he thought, pausing for a moment, "...guidance came to save me in the last moment. She wouldn't let me do this upon myself.", and that mere thought brought new hope inside the old king's soul._ **"Darkness is cast away only by light, Asgore. If you ever feel yourself surrounded by darkness, know that light has a way of showing itself to you." _, his father, Asrador, used t_ _o t_ _ell him._** _It was rare when he and his father had a really close relationship, but Asrador knew that one day, responsability will dawn on Asgore, and the young prince needed to know more about life. The lesson Asrador wanted to teach his son was that of hope and determination, of love and compassion. That the monsters' SOULs rely only on these few traits to live, and that they need to harness and understand them as much as possible. Asgore understood this lesson only now, when his darkest thoughts were cast away by the miracle of salvation and by friends who stood by his side in any way possible.  
_

 _Asgore noticed the bandages around his wrist, and, with a small frown, decided to change from the grey shirt and black pants to something more lively. He had it through with darkness, so he chose, from a variety of button-up shirts, a blue shirt. He seemed to borrow a bit from Frisk's first attire, and then he searched for a pair of purple pants. "There. I look better, and even times will be better now. But perhaps, I should still take the purple mantle around my shoulders, or the monsters would not really respect my authority." Asgore made his way out of the room, only to notice Sans supporting himself on the wall. "good to see ya' back, king asgore." Sans said with a smile, noticing the aura around the king. It was an aura of determination, of light, like the king's mood really changed drastically over a night. "Sans. I'm not sure who saved me...back there." Asgore began with a frown. "But, if it was you, I'm honored you didn't give up on me. Like...some monsters used to do." he continued, remembering Toriel's disgust and abandoning that day._

 **"-Tori...  
\- Do not "Tori" me, Dreemurr! You do not understand what I'm going through! _Toriel was saying, tears in her eyes._ _  
-_ This plan is our only hope, _Asgore was saying, resolute determination flashing in his eyes.  
_ \- This plan costed me six of my children! I looked after them, each and every one of them! I don't want to be a part of your plans, _Toriel hissed, as she made her way past the monster king.  
\- _Wait, don't-, _began Asgore, only to be silenced by a fireball hitting his chest._  
\- No, you wait, Dreemurr! I am leaving you, _she said as she furiously opened the door and left._ "  
**

 _What Asgore failed to see that day were Toriel's tears. She was spilling tears not only for the six innocent children, but for her husband as well. Deep down, she was still caring about her Fluffybuns, but that was slowly changing over the years, because she held sadness and resentment in her heart. And now, for him to see her die in this timeline, with no chance at redeeming himself in her eyes, that was possibly the worst ending of their story. Sans remembered Alphys's harsh words, and decided to brief Asgore about his meeting with Gerson, along with his plans for a dream machine that was broken by W.D. Gaster before the scarier scientist fell down the CORE._

\- So, what you're saying, that our only chance is to make our way in the human's dreams? _said Asgore.  
_ \- yup, technically, that's the whole idea. but for better results, i'd rather be the one that tells pacifist frisk about the dangers, _said Sans, in a rather cold voice._ _  
-_ Yes, that's obvious. But, if the timeline is going to be...RESET, our existence will be done? _concern was worming in Asgore's baritonal voice.  
_ \- for some reason, alph-alphys was muttering something in her sleep, _said_ _Sans, blushing with shame._ she kept saying that we need to act swiftly. and that we can be existent in the next timeline.

 _Alphys was slowly awakening, hearing the two monsters' voices behind the door. Her eyes were trying to adjust to the light that was brilliantly shining through the window, as she frantically searched for her glasses. "Ah. Much better," she said with a content voice. "Now, I gotta ask Sans about last night! And King Asgore..." Alphys paused a bit, hoping the monster king would be alright now. She treaded to the door and, to her surprise, Asgore was up and well. "King Asgore!" she said, running to hug him._

-whoa, slow down there, alph _, chuckled Sans._ told ya' he's going to be okay.  
\- Yes, I know. I just..., _Alphys frowned at the thought.  
_ \- It is alright, _said Asgore, his baritonal voice soothing the young lizard._ You were afraid of losing a friend, _he continued, remembering Toriel's fear in a distant memory._

 **"- Gorey...I- _Toriel tried to hide her tears, as she was holding herself against Asgore, listening to his heartbeat._  
\- You were afraid. I know, Tori. I-...I could've died.  
\- Gorey... _her voice was softer than ever, she was afraid of losing him.  
\- _Tori... _Asgore began, as he cupped her face, looking in her eyes._  
\- What is it, Gorey? _Toriel asked, eyes still brimming with tears._  
\- ...I was afraid of losing you too, _he said as he gently held her in a hug._ "**

 **-** King Asgore? Asgore? Mr. Dreemurr? _Alphys began questioning as she was looking at the old king phasing out of reality.  
\- _Yes, my Royal Scientist? What is it? _Asgore said, after a brief pause, as if he wanted to replay that memory, over and over again.  
_ \- You weren't listening to anything we said! Were you...thinking of the Queen? _the lizard scientist asked cautiously, knowing any word of Toriel would draw him into the darkness.  
\- _Yes. I was...reliving a memory that demands my courage holds. Whatever was the matter you wanted to talk with me? _the king asked, with visible embarassment on his face.  
_ \- like i was telling ya, alphys told me we could exist in the next timeline without any issue. however, alphys will be a special case... _Sans began to say._  
\- What do you mean by that, Sans? Shouldn't I be afraid there will be two of me in a timeline? _Asgore asked, confusion written on his face.  
_ \- as ya know, asgore, you're only coming in play in the final battle. and ya have memories of killing the kid, right?

 _Now that Sans was telling him that, he could feel something odd inside him, like dormant memories of killing a child countless times that was facing him in timelines that were good. "Apparently, yes, Sans. So I am me in any timeline. Well. But you said Alphys will be a special case." said the king. "yup. cause alphys of the pacifist route is not really aware of the timelines, but geno alphys is - thanks to me.", continued Sans. "however, we're still gonna need the dream machine - which is...still broken like a bone..."  
At the pun, both Asgore and Alphys laughed and the next instant, both apologized, realising the seriousness of the issue. "Sorry, young Sans. / Sorry, Sans.", but Sans was now all a grin, prompting him to say, "it's okay, we ain't dead serious right now. however, i want you to close your eyes, and hold my hands. i know a shortcut."  
_

* * *

 _As the monsters were making their moves, a young child was suffering in the human world. They was only two years when they were abandoned by their parents, saying that "Maggie James Hunt" was just an accident. He was often beaten as a baby, because he was crying too loud. "Maggie James Hunt", or Frisk, couldn't really remember the abuse that they endured for two long years. The orphanage caretaker noticed they were underfed, and asked the two parents if they intentionally starved this child so he could die, to which the parents said "You're asking us about this shit brat that did nothing else than eat our lives for two years? Crying like a crap and smelling horribly. This shit was an accident. " The caretaker flinched at such rude words addressed to a two year-old child, and demanded the two parents to go away. Frisk couldn't really understand what was going on that day, as they never learnt to speak or to read and write. As those inexplicable memories were unfolding in front of their eyes, the caretaker reminded them that today, they were now seven years old. They constantly asked about their parents, as if hoping to return. But each day was taken by a long, sleepless night, and Frisk's concern over his parents went off the roof. But on a particular night, Frisk's life was about to change. They were gazing at the empty ceiling, thinking about Mount Ebott's legend, wishing they had the courage to go through with it. Wishing they could change anything in their life, as it was. Darkness beckoned upon them as they closed their sleepy eyes, they hadn't slept in many nights since their living at the orphanage. Those nights were now making their effect on the young child. And they were about to have the strangest of dreams they ever had..._

There was a beautiful forest, with pine and fir trees all around, and from the branches, they could hear birds' melodies and chirpings, as if the creatures were more than happy to glorify nature in it's marvels. Frisk took a breath of air as they were trying to get familiar with the area. The soil felt quite humid due to the coolness given out by the forest, as their fingers were cold at the touch. Dirt was present on their clothes, and mostly on their knees, but it didn't seem to bother them. They were more worried about where they were and why was there an almost visible path cutting through the forest. Their instinct told them to keep on going that path, because they were afraid that one step out of that path would mean death for them. They were walking for a long time, when they heard soft sounds from a nearby bush. After a long, fearful gaze in that direction and nothing but eerie silence surrounding them, they thought that the sound must've been done by an animal, most likely. It felt like the forest was going on forever, so they decided they should find a place to rest. But just as they were thinking on where to camp, they could feel a figure's eyes staring on them. "human. don't you know how to greet a new pal?" asked the figure. "turn around and shake my hand," the figure continued. Frisk turned around and stretched their hand towards the figure. "heh. the old whoope cushion in the hand trick. it's always funny." Frisk did leave out a soft laughter, as they found it funny too.

 _-_ hi. i'm sans. sans the skeleton, _the figure said as he revealed himself from the shadows.  
\- _My name is Frisk _, said the young child._ Where am I?  
\- we're in a forest. snowed in forest, _Sans said with a grin on his face.  
_ \- Snowedin? I never heard of such a forest, but it's nice, _Frisk said._ _  
_\- frisk. don't you remember me, buddy? _Sans's grin lessened.  
_ \- I'm supposed to know you? _Frisk said, a look of confusion spreading on their face._

 _And Frisk was sadly telling the truth. He didn't have any memory of the monsters in his head, which was a true hinder for the monsters' plan. "darnit, he doesn't remember a thing! this plan is surely going to fail, the RESET took all of the kid's memories with us. they probably remember only their past." Sans thought, the grin on his face turning into a frown._

\- you don't really remember me. that's shocking my bones out, _Sans frowned even more, as he turned his back on the kid.  
_ \- Sans? Are you okay? _Frisk asked, with a sniff in their voice.  
_ \- kid. are you absolutely sure you don't know me? cause...if you're lying to me, you'll be dead right where you stand, _Sans said, his voice so cold it made Frisk afraid of him.  
_ \- Trust me, Sans. I don't know anything! I only remember ...what I'm living through right now, _Frisk said, his voice almost cracking.  
_ \- lay on the ground, frisk. i want to do something _, Sans said._ don't worry, i just want to be sure of your state.

 _Frisk laid on the ground as Sans asked him, and the small skeleton hovered their bony hand over his chest, pulling out the kid's SOUL. The red heart was filled with memories of the kid's past, that confirming Sans's thought. "he must suffer from...memory loss? still, i now know what was driving this kid towards killing himself. damnit."_

\- yeah. you were right, kid. i'm sorry. _  
-_ Sans, _Frisk began saying,_ I'm sorry I don't remember you. Cause you seem like a nice person _-  
_ \- i'm a monster, kiddo, _Sans said, chuckling._ but not that kind of monster your...er...folks must've been.  
\- Yeah. _Frisk smiled at how the monster was seeing their parents, as if someone understood them.  
_ \- frisk. i came here to show you something, _Sans said as he pulled out the container keeping Geno Frisk's SOUL.  
_ \- That...looks like my heart? _Frisk asked, confusion filling their face even more.  
_ \- it's pretty different from yours, kiddo. it has some memories you need to know, _Sans said, as he was gently taking out Geno Frisk's SOUL._

 _In that instant, Frisk and Geno Frisk's SOULs began glowing red with DETERMINATION. But Sans had to be careful with how he's going to pass down the memories towards the kid. "just place your hand on it, that will unravel some memories that lie within this soul. i'm going to warn you, you're not going to like what you're about to see. are you ready?"  
Frisk nodded, and in that instant, the memories of Genocide Frisk were showing in front of the amnesiac Pacifist Frisk and Sans. For some odd reason, Frisk was horrified each time he saw those monsters dying right in front of their eyes. His hands were shaking terribly, as if they were the criminals. They felt the weigh of Geno Frisk's sins crawling on their back. Sans saw the horrified expression on Frisk's face, and how they were about to break down any second, but Frisk insisted they see everything, with no exception. When the memories were reaching Sans's final battle, Frisk was shocked at how well Sans was holding out against Geno Frisk, and how, at first, Geno Frisk didn't show any expression on his face, nothing but a sick grin that was scary for this timeline's Frisk. "Wait a moment," Frisk said, as he discerned a silhouette hovering over Geno Frisk. "Who's that?"_

\- that, kiddo, is the thing that controls each Geno Frisk _, Sans said, his pinpricks disappearing from the eyesockets, shocking Frisk.  
_ \- Who's that? _Frisk asked again.  
\- that thing's name is Chara, that's what Geno Frisk told me,_ Sans replied.

 _The memory went on and on, and Frisk realised that this horrific route one was taken only if one's fueled by hatred and destruction, leaving a way for Chara to control them.  
But, the moment Geno Frisk decided to repent for their sins - a thing that shocked Pacifist Frisk - by demanding that their memories are shared with every Pacifist Frisk and apologising for killing everyone, made Frisk realise redemption was a chance even for a relentless killer. "in every timeline that goes like this, we're talking about chara's existence. but in every timeline that goes pacifist, we're talking about frisk's existence. that's you, buddy. you're the one who can change our lives. for better...or for worse.", Sans said, as the pinpricks returned in his eyesockets, the grin forming on his face again. "So you're saying I'm the only one who can save the monsters?" Frisk said, a glint of DETERMINATION forming in their eyes. "yes. i know you'll remember now mostly the genocide timeline from geno frisk's soul, but know you can save us. with geno frisk's knowledge, you can prevent our extermination." Sans said as he hugged the small child. "welp. this thing is almost outta batteries. i have to go, frisk. remember. i'm counting on you, buddy. you're the last champion of light."  
_

* * *

 **And that's all for today, folks!  
Stay tuned for more. :P  
**


	12. (PR) Chapter II: A Shield of Fire

**Just enjoy ;)  
Although Frisk is agender, the pronouns used will be they/them, along with he/him. Get used to it. Sorry.**

Note: "This kind of writing will represent Geno Frisk's memories." **  
**

* * *

 _"That was a strange dream," thought Frisk, as he raised from the bed, sweat dripping on his forehead. "But I can remember it all, as if it's part of me now. I remember that skeleton...his name is Sans, and ...Geno Frisk's memories!...Though these ones are not so pleasant, they still make my hands shake and my back crawl with the darkest of thoughts ever." he frowned as the morning light was shining through the windows of the orphanage. Luckily, the other children were not yet awakened, and he left his bed slowly, putting his feet in the blue slippers and making sure to avoid the creaky parts of the floor at all costs. "Sans counts on me to save the monsters," he thought as a surge of DETERMINATION was flowing in his veins. "...I don't feel so hollow inside anymore, not like I used to be."  
The smell of food made Frisk's stomach rumble, and even though the food was not so good, it was enough to satiate his hunger. As he made his way towards the canteen, he noticed how the cook was upset about something, but the moment the cook saw him, their face lit up like a beacon. "Ah, Frisk. It's so good to see you here. I wanted to offer you something special." they said as they made way to the young child. "You're the only kid around I grew to like, so...today I'm giving you a special treat. Here." the cook said as they offered them a plate with toasted bread, covered with butter and jam, and a mug of hot tea. "Don't tell anyone I gave you that. I don't want the master caretaker to know. Come, let me give you the table next to the window."  
The cook was a person that, apart from the caretaker that took Frisk under guidance, grew to like the quiet child. It was perhaps the main reason that, whenever they were alone, the cook would secretly hand him a few good treats. Frisk was enjoying the good meal and the good view from the outside. The sun was shining brilliantly, and it was a perfect day to go outside and play games. But for Frisk, those games usually turned into him getting beaten up, or laughed at by several kids. The ones with whom he was sitting on the "Old Legends Time" were the few that tolerated Frisk's presence and agreed he was as interested in mysteries as they were, but that was all. Frisk didn't have any friends, and he was sure the two adults who cared about him in the whole orphanage were just merciful to him. They weren't really interested in looking too much for his welfare._

 _Frisk missed having a family, and the caretaker that took him under guidance since he was two, made sure Frisk learnt to speak, read and write. And Frisk was more than eager to learn all this, but he often didn't want to speak. He was content to be able to write anything on paper, or read a lot of books, solve puzzles - which he enjoyed so much, as they were challenging his brain. Then, when Frisk turned seven, the caretaker had to explain why his parents won't be coming back for a long time, even though he was worried about them. The caretaker took great precautions, so, when he caught Frisk alone, he asked the child to come for a walk, as they had lots to discuss. "I want to say, by now, that you won't like what you're about to hear, child. I don't even know how to say this without breaking that little heart of yours. You're a child...you shouldn't go through such things."  
But Frisk was more than curious to hear what the caretaker had to say, and they assured him that it's okay to tell them, whatever that was._

\- Frisk, this is about...your parents, _the caretaker began, with a long sigh, pausing briefly, waiting for Frisk to take things slowly._  
\- Have you found them? _Frisk asked, as if he was hoping they'll be coming back for him.  
_ \- Frisk...they're not living here anymore, _Mr. White, the caretaker, began saying.  
_ \- Where are they? _Frisk insisted, his hope still standing.  
_ \- They didn't leave any address, _Mr. White continued, his eyes brimming with tears, as if he dreaded this.  
_ \- Why didn't they come for me? _Frisk's hope began to crumble.  
_ \- They haven't come in a long time, child. You remember that scores of parents came to adopt children, but everyone refused you. And you kept asking me when your parents will come, _Mr White's heart was shattering inside.  
_ \- Y-you mean...t-they...l-left me, o-on p-purpose? _Frisk said, his hope fading away, making place for tears in his eyes.  
_ \- You're really clever, Frisk. And...I'm afraid it's true, they did it on purpose. I don't want to tell the words they used for you that day. No child deserves what happened to you.

 _In that moment, Frisk dropped to his knees, leaving out the tears that were threatening to spill anyway, sobs escaping their chest each time they were shaking their head. Mr White leveled himself to the child, and gently held him in a hug. "Child. You're a gentle soul. You've suffered a lot. But you're still trying to see the best in people, I know that. I can see the way you want to be good to the others, even if you end up being beaten. You never fight back." Frisk's sobs were still going on, at the thought he'll never have a family, and he will be forced to live in this sick orpahange forever. "But I hope you'll find a family that will love you, no matter what. Stay determined, and be good, child. Your heart is pure and that's how it should remain." Even if the caretaker's intentions were good, Frisk was determined that day to disappear from the face of Earth, and decided they would go to Mount Ebott. He didn't really care anymore if he will be now considered as the seventh child that disappears on that mountain, but now, that goal seemed like a thing of the past. Of course, the suicidal thought lingered in his brain due to what he suffered, but he had a new goal. To save the monsters living in the Underground, and by extension, save himself...This time, the trip to Mount Ebott wasn't the act of a selfish child, a child determined to exterminate themselves and anyone in their path - what Frisk had seen in that dream gave him enough reasons to drop their idea of "going down and suicide" - with each step they made further away from the darkened orphanage, they had in mind the advice Sans passed on them, "i'm counting on you, kid. remember that."_

 _The moon was shining bright, illuminating the path that old woodcutters used to tread on towards the forest, and he decided to keep on the track, until he found an old box with a flashlight on it. After this point, the path was no longer illuminated by the moon, leaving way for the ever-growing depth and darkness of the forest. He remembered Geno Frisk's memories, and how he took the flashlight. Frisk did the same, only to note that the text accompanying the flashlight was slightly changed. "Traveller, may this light guide your way, as the light inside you prevails." Frisk left out a gentle smile on his face, feeling his SOUL glowing a faint white light, almost divine and soothing. He used the light inside and light outside to walk faster through the woods, almost with no fear on his face. He was ready for this mission, and he wasn't going to give up now. But even a determined child like Frisk was tired, and after a rather long walk, they could see a rock and a patch of grass in the shadows. "It would be a nice halt for tonight. I'm tired..." he was thinking as he left out a loud yawn and felt his eyes getting heavy. He turned off the flashlight and sat himself on that patch of grass, all curled up._

 _They were about to have a nightmare..._

 _Blood was running down on their hands, dust on their clothes. Their breathing was quite funny, as they could hear a muffled cackle and often evil laughter...Rising their head, they could see Sans. But there was something different about him, he didn't seem like the nice skeleton they met in their dream. He didn't look friendly at all. "Sans? Is that you?" Frisk's voice asked. "heheh. we're fighting for hours and you don't know me? funny." Sans's usual voice was far darker now, as his left eye was glowing furiously. "you'll feel the weigh of your sins, pal." as the SOUL in Frisk's hands turned blue, and Sans was controlling him. The skeleton's rage was beyond any limit, as they mercilessly tossed Frisk all over the Judgement Hall. "burn in hell.", Sans was saying each time Frisk's body was hitting the walls. The skeleton was astounded on how well the kid was taking damage, and Frisk's HP was literally at 1. "heheh. you won't come back, pal." Sans said, as he summoned a Gaster Blaster and pulverized Frisk._

 _Frisk's eyes flew open, scared of what he had seen, his heart beating so fast it threatened to leave his ribcage. It was already sunrise when he realised he was still in the forest, next to the rock they spotted last night. "This is not good. I must act fast. No more sleep tonight!" Frisk decided as he continued on his path up towards Mount Ebott. In the distance, he could see what looked like a hill, but he didn't have time to figure out what was that. He was really thirsty after this horrible nightmare, and using their stick, they tried to find some water, only to hear some sounds from a bush. Their heartbeat was still wild, but when a white rabbit came out of the bush, relief was washing on their face. "Just a rabbit. But I have to find water, and soon." Frisk said as he was listening hard for any sound of water, but he caught sight of a shy deer that was looking for water as well. The deer pitched his ears, and it seemed to have picked up the noise of running water, because, as soon as Frisk saw it, it disappeared. But Frisk's DETERMINATION was unparalleled, and the child followed, slowly, the already-frightened deer, which led him to a stream of water. The deer bowed his head and started drinking some water, always looking around and keeping its' ears pitched. Frisk decided it would be best not to startle the animal, so he was standing behind a bush until the deer left. It was not long before the deer was startled by another noise and ran away, leaving Frisk a way to drink some water for himself, and clean his face. Deep in the water's reflection, he could see the obvious lack of sleep on his face, and the few scars he got from various beat-ups by kids. "I wonder...if I follow this water, would it lead me to Mount Ebott?" he wondered. He began walking upstream, careful not to lose the trail that was forming in front of him. The water's pleasant flow instilled peace inside Frisk, and truth be told, it was a pleasant sound for his ears. Better than the ruckus of the town, the yells of children and of adults...Nature's peace is what everyone needs sometimes. Occasionally, a fish would jump out of the stream, and frogs would hop along on the slippery rocks, and Frisk stopped to gaze at all the beauty around him. After a few minutes of rest, he walked until he reached a small waterfall at the end of the trail. On the other side of the water, there was a pathway, and in the distance, a mountain. "Brrh, it's cold! But I have to go across if I want to reach the mountain."_

 _Summoning some courage, Frisk managed to cross the stream and reach the pathway, still shaking from the coldness of the water. "There's no time to waste," he thought as he began walking on the rather shady pathway leading to the mountain. The sound of water was getting further behind him, with each step, and in its' place, faint birds' chirpring could be heard echoing through the rather lonely pathway. It didn't take too long for Frisk to reach the mountain's base, as he started to notice that, slowly, the trail was bordered by boulders and rocks. "So, that's Mount Ebott," he said, as he looked up towards the huge mountain. "It's a big climb, but I have to do it tonight. I'd better rest here, and when night comes, I will climb." He found a place to rest, near an old oak, and as he yawned, his eyes were closing, drifting him off to sleep. Fortunately, he didn't have any more dreams or nightmares until the coming of night - perhaps the peaceful mindset he was in helped keeping at bay the nightmares - and he awoke to the faint breezing air of night in his nostrils. "It's time." The climbing was not easy at all - a few times, Frisk was on the edge of slipping - but his DETERMINATION kept him steady, until they reached a plateau of sorts, which was rather small. Standing there, gazing at the crater that was opening under the plateau, fear crippled them, but remembering Geno Frisk's memories, they couldn't just give up now. "Someone's counting on me."  
_

* * *

 _The fall was quick, darkness enveloping Frisk for quite some time. It was only the scent of golden flowers that awakened him, only to notice that small cuts were emerging from his palms, blood dripping from them a bit. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, putting the stick in his pocket, and noticed he no longer had the flashlight. He left out a shrug and proceeded down the darkened stony hallway, his SOUL becoming the only source of light. He could discern that the tunnel was quite large and quite long in distance, as it took him a while to reach the end. He thought at first that it was a dead end, but his instinct was telling him otherwise, and as he began feeling his way through the darkness, one of his hands threaded along a small opening. "Feels like a door. It can be pushed," and so, filled with DETERMINATION, Frisk pushed the great stony door, only to enter a room that was rather odd - although it was dark, a small patch of grass was enlightened. In the middle of that patch of grass was a flower, but it was a special one. This flower had a face, and it was smiling playfully when it saw the human._

\- Howdy, _began the flower to say,_ I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!  
\- Hello. My name is Frisk, _answered the child._ Where am I?  
\- You must be new to the Underground. Golly, you look so confused, _Flowey said, keeping that smile on their face.  
_ \- Yes, I'm really... _but the moment Frisk was about to reply, memories of Geno Frisk emerged in Frisk's mind.  
_  
"- Golly, you must be so confused.  
\- Yeah, I am, I don't know much about where I am, _Geno Frisk was saying.  
_ \- Oh. I guess little old me will have to do! _Flowey was saying to him.  
\- _See that? That's your SOUL. The very culmination of your being! Your soul can get stronger if it gets a lot of LV.  
\- What's LV? _Geno Frisk asked.  
_ \- Why, it's LOVE, of course! You do want some LOVE, don't cha? _Flowey said, the same cheeky smile on their face._ "

"-ya' were pretty fast in getting EXP...those EXecution Points. ya' just wanted to increase your LOVE, your Level Of ViolencE. you're pretty detached about killing anyone, kiddo. _"_ _Frisk recognized Sans's voice in this memory, and he was grateful for Geno Frisk's knowledge, albeit he was feeling the sins of the genocidal repentant killer on his back._

\- You're really what? _Flowey asked, waiting impatiently.  
_ \- I'm really confused, _Frisk said, with an embarassed smile, hoping he'll be able to keep up the act.  
\- _Oh. I guess little old me will have to instruct you. _Flowey said, as he brought up the Bullet Board.  
_ \- Okay, Flowey. Thanks for your help, _Frisk said, keeping the same embarassed smile.  
_ \- See that? That's your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL gets stronger if it gets a lot of LV.  
\- LV stands for...? _Frisk asked, although he knew the response that will come, and knew better not to fall for deceiving acronyms.  
_ \- Why, LOVE, of course. You do want some LOVE, don't cha? _Flowey winked as he said that.  
_ \- Sure, I think it would be useful, _Frisk kept up the act.  
_ \- Here, LOVE is shared through...little white "friendliness pellets". Make sure to get them all, buddy! _Flowey smirked at that remark._

 _But Frisk was swift in dodging the so-called pellets, knowing it was actually real bullets. Flowey, flabbergasted, didn't know why the human missed their bullets, and, with an ironic smile on his face, he told the human how he failed to catch the bullets. "Want to try again?" asked Flowey, keeping up the charade, but he didn't know that Frisk was also playing a charade. "Sure, I'm sorry I missed," the child gave out a soft smile. The bullets went down towards the SOUL, and Frisk, like a premier danseur, avoided the second wave of bullets, which prompted Flowey to insult the kid. "Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS. ...err, friendliness pellets!" the flower yelled as he launched a third wave of bullets towards Frisk's SOUL. "Drop the act, flower. I know what you're doing." Frisk said, with a soft laugh. But Flowey was having none of it, "SO YOU DO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?! You know what. I'll drop the act. DIE." the flower's face changed into a full maniacal grin, as a ring of bullets was encircling the child's soul.  
However, in all the darkness, a fireball emerged out of nowhere, knocking the flower out and forcing it to retreat. Frisk was relieved that the flower was gone, only to feel their heartbeat rise as they realised who saved them.  
_

 _From the darkness, a goat-like monster with a pristine white fur, wearing long purple robes with a strange symbol on them, hurried towards the child, concern worming in her eyes. "Are you alright, child?" she asked, as she looked at the few scars brazing the child's face, and the wounds in his palms. She took his hands, and green flame starting to play along her fingers, relieving Frisk of the pain he felt there. "Yes, t-thank you," Frisk said, his heartbeat raising even further. "Do not worry, " she cooed in a soft voice, "that creature will not hurt you anymore." Frisk could do nothing but smile, hope rising in his heart. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. Come with me, I will guide you through the catacombs," the goat monster said as she handed a paw towards the child. Frisk grabbed it with joy and felt a fuzzy feeling running through their blood. It was...happiness? Safety? He couldn't really place the feeling, but it was certainly a calming feeling. Her fluffy paw was so soft he wanted to sink his fingers more in their intertwining. Toriel noticed how the child was holding her paw with a strong grip, and she smiled back reassuringly. "Welcome to your new home, innocent one," she said as she let go of Frisk's hand and sat in front of him. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. They serve as ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. Please, adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel explained, with extreme care on details. Frisk noticed the puzzle ahead of him, and was more than eager to solve it, but the moment he made a step, the goat monster was already solving it. "Follow me, child, " she said softly after finishing the puzzle, but Frisk's attention was diverted by a huge plate on the wall. On it stood written: "Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.", a thing that made Frisk smile.  
"Please, stay on the path," Toriel told Frisk. "You need to press a few switches. I have labeled them for you, it should be easy." the goat monster smiled. And Frisk was more than happy to comply, as he pressed the two switches Toriel marked with care. "Very good, my child! Take my hand and follow me." Toriel handed out her paw, and Frisk grabbed it once more, the warmth of her presence being enough to set a fire in the young child's heart. She was filling him with DETERMINATION to do as she asked, no matter the request. A Froggit came along, curious to see the human. The frog monster seemed eager to talk to Frisk, but just before the child could say a compliment on his eyes, Toriel glared at the small frog monster, which skeltered as fast as possible. Frisk was a bit embarassed, but nonetheless knew that Toriel was just protecting him. "This is the next puzzle, but...Oh well. Take my hand, let us solve it together," the goat monster smiled.  
_

 _Frisk could smell fire and cinammon out of her robes, and it felt so utterly pleasant, nothing ever could beat the scent that Toriel's robes were carrying. The scent became a familiarity, a sense of home, of safety...of family. She turned her head a few times as they walked over the spike puzzle, smiling towards Frisk, and Frisk smiled timidly back, blushing a bit. "She's so nice to me..." was all that the child could ever think of while she was around. "Oh dear, puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now." she said as Frisk followed her into the next room. Frisk saw a small dummy in one of the corners of this particular room, and he didn't know what was its' purpose here. But, as always, Toriel had an explanation for everything, and the child was more than glad to hear the soothing voice explaining them everything. "As a human living in the UNDERGROUND, monsters may try to attack you. If that happens, you'll enter a FIGHT. Strike up a friendly conversation. I will come to resolve the conflict. Please, practice talking to the dummy." she said as she pushed Frisk towards the dummy. The kid wasn't so sure about what he could talk about, so he first asked Toriel for some advice. "I usually start with a 'how do you do', " the goat monster said. "Here, want to hear a funny joke?" Frisk nodded. "What does a skeleton tile his roof with?" Frisk looked confused, and asked "With tiles?", at which Toriel left a small giggle. "No silly, a skeleton tiles his roof with...SHIN-gles!" she said, howling with laughter. Frisk laughed back, as the pun was really funny. "I will keep that pun in mind, ...er...Toriel," the child said with a smile.  
Frisk was feeling quite uncomfortable to call Toriel on her first name, as if his internal fire demanded a different name for her. But right now, he was determined to do what Toriel asked of him, and he sat down next to the Dummy, trying to strike up a conversation:  
_

 _-_ Hello, Mr. Dummy!  
\- ...The Dummy didn't reply.  
\- My name is Frisk.  
-...The Dummy didn't reply.  
\- What's that? I love solving puzzles!  
-...The Dummy didn't reply.  
\- And I like monsters, they're awesome.

 _Toriel seemed content with Frisk's progress, and she praised him for his kindness. "Very good, my child. You have done so well thus far. But...I have a difficult request to ask of you." Frisk's face was filled with confusion. "I want you to walk to the end of this room. Alone." Frisk's eyes were all on her, but she was almost tearing up. "I'm sorry for this," she said as she ran away. "Toriel, wait-" Frisk began saying, but she was gone in an instant, leaving behind her a strong scent of fire and cinammon. That scent alone was enough to give Frisk DETERMINATION and go through this, so he began walking slowly, looking for any monster in sight. He took time to admire the vines that were hanging on either sides of the walls, and realized as he reached half of the distance, that there were no monsters in the room, so he darted straight towards the end. At the end of the room, there was a pillar. Curious as Frisk was, he found Toriel hiding behind it, and he was relieved that she didn't fully leave him alone._

\- Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you alone, _she began saying, a bit embarassed that the child could find her._  
\- I'm glad you did not, _Frisk said as he hugged her, and Toriel leveled to him, returning the embrace.  
-_ There was a reason for this exercise, _she whispered in his ear._ ...to test your independence, _she left out a soft sigh.  
_ \- I'm not that independent, am I? _Frisk asked as he looked in her red eyes.  
_ \- You are quite independent, but not enough. It is normal though..., _she said, smiling.  
_ \- Are you worried about something, Toriel? _Frisk asked, reading on her face concern and care.  
_ \- I'm afraid I must attend to some business. And I have to leave you alone for a while...Ah! Here, take this cell phone, _Toriel said as she pulled out from the left pocket of her robe an old cell phone, and handed it over to Frisk._ You may call me whenever you wish, if you need anything.  
\- Wow, I can talk to you without any worry! _he said, excitedly, but after realising he revealed his feelings towards Toriel, he blushed.  
\- _I still have some puzzles I have to explain to you, my child, _she said, the smile on her face growing._ Please, don't leave the room, as it would be dangerous for you to explore all by yourself, _Toriel said as she left the room, ruffling Frisk's hair._

 _Frisk realised what was the feeling surging in him whenever he was around Toriel. It was love, the love of a child towards their mother. "Silly of me, I don't think she'll want to be my mother, although I pretty much see her like one," Frisk blushed with embarassment, remembering the soft feeling of her paw in his hand and the fire igniting in his heart once more. He then supported himself by the stony pillar where Toriel was hiding. The scent of fire and cinammon rested on that place, so Frisk huffed it all in, as if he looked for reassurance. It felt quite lonely without her here, and there was no monster he could talk to just to pass some time, but the child wanted nothing more than obey Toriel's wishes. Five minutes went by as he was thinking about her, when the phone suddenly rang._

\- Hello, my child. It's me, Toriel, _the already soothing and familiar voice said at the end of line.  
_ \- Toriel, when are you coming back? _Frisk asked, with some concern in his voice.  
_ \- I'm afraid you must wait five more minutes. My errands are taking a lot more than expected. _  
_\- Okay, I'll stay here, Frisk said, _DETERMINATION flicking in one of his eyes.  
_ \- Be patient, alright? I will come to you soon. _  
_

 _There was a click from the other end, meaning the call was ended by Toriel. Frisk's patience wasn't infinite, but he was sure this must be another test Toriel was laying out for him to see just how patient he is. And he was determined not to fail her, not in any way. Oddly, he could find in his right pocket a few pieces of chalk. They were still whole - it was surprising they didn't break with the fall - and Frisk had now some material to draw. He decided to draw Toriel and himself together, but just as he made the outline, the phone began ringing again.  
_  
\- Hello, my child! I managed to find what I was looking for. _  
_\- That means you're coming back? _Frisk asked, hope rising in his voice.  
_ \- The thing is...before I could take it, a small, white puppy snatched it away. _  
_\- Oh, why did he do that, _Frisk asked, a soft laughter could be heard in his voice.  
_ \- Do dogs even like flour?...Ah, that's an unrelated question. _  
_\- I wouldn't know, Toriel, _Frisk said, confusion written on their face.  
_ \- It will take a little longer, please understand. _  
_\- It's okay, I can wait some more, _Frisk said, a smile forming on his face._

 _Frisk continued working on the drawing. He realised her eyes were a tint red, and he didn't have any red chalk on him. "I can't colour it. Such a shame...but I can draw it to a bit." He said as he managed to draw Toriel as accurately as possible, and then himself - it was surprising, as he didn't learn that much on drawing - but he was pleased to pass time with such a beautiful thing. "I don't have any paper with me...wish I could show it to her." Frisk thought, with a smile, fire rising in his heart once more, along with sheer DETERMINATION. The phone was ringing again, and this time, Frisk was hearing some heavy panting, a few barks, and then, a distant voice rang. "Stop, please! Come back with my cellphone!" and then Frisk clicked. "Looks like I have to wait some more." he thought, with a soft sigh leaving his mouth, but DETERMINATION kept him from running away - he didn't want to disappoint Toriel, and decided that he would rest, supported by the stony pillar. Frisk sat down and closed his eyes, almost doozing off, when the phone rang, after five minutes, only for the child to hear at the other end sounds of a puppy sleeping on the phone, and the familiar distant voice "Hello? Little puppy...where are you? I will give you a nice pat on the head!" The snoring seemingly stopped, but just as the voice said "...if you return my cellphone", the snoring at the other end resumed. Frisk once again clicked the phone and went back to sleep, dreaming about Toriel.  
Five more minutes passed, and the phone rang again, forcing Frisk to flew his eyes open. "Oh. Well." he thought as he placed the phone on his ear. He could hear snoring, a soft sneeze from the dog, as if he was sneezing in his sleep. Again, the distant voice rang in their ear. "Here puppy! Oh dear...I shouldn't keep my guest waiting any longer. How long has it been since I last talked to them?" Frisk could hear a soft gasp from the voice, as it said "Perhaps they have been calling the phone and...?" and then, as if some fierce determination was capturing that voice, it said "Here, puppy! Come here!". He couldn't do much rather than clicking the phone and returning to their slumber, his patience was now running kinda low. But his own DETERMINATION was more than enough - he constantly reminded himself not to fail Toriel. Finally, the phone rang one more time, and, at the other end, he could hear snores, a faint blinking, and the distant voice which was now a little tired. "Doggie...here doggie. Oh dear...I do wonder how they are..." Frisk could sense the worry in the distant voice. As he clicked the phone, he rose to his feet, the only thought running in his head was "Apparently, Toriel had been fatigued by that dog...she must be really tired. And she definitely needs my help! I've been waiting for too long for her. I gotta run."_

Frisk began running towards the exit, but just as he exited the room, his phone rang. Toriel was at the other end, this time:

\- Hello, this is Toriel! _  
_\- Toriel, I'm glad to hear your voice, _Frisk said, relieved she finally got her phone.  
_ \- My apologies, a strange dog kidnapped my phone. If you called, I'm afraid I could not have helped you. _  
_\- It is alright, no need to apologise, _Frisk smiled.  
_ \- I have recovered it. But tell me, you're still in that room, right? _Toriel asked, concerned.  
_ \- Yes, _Frisk said._ I am still here, waiting for you. _  
-_ What a good child you are. There are a few puzzles ahead I have yet to explain. Be good, alright? _  
_\- Hehehe, don't worry. I will be good, _Frisk said, a soft laughter escaping him, as he clicked the phone._

 _A small Froggit approached him. This time, Frisk sat next to the frog monster, listening to what he had to say. "If you ACT a certain way, or FIGHT until you lower their HP, monsters may not want to fight you. Remember to use some MERCY, human." Frisk refused the idea of fighting, so in his mind stood ingrained that if he ACTs a certain way, he can use his MERCY. "Thanks, Froggit. I will keep that in mind," said Frisk with a patient smile, and then went towards the yellow shining star crinkling among the leaves. He had SAVEd, although he didn't understand what was the point of it. "Ah, gotta run to Toriel. She might need my help, " Frisk reminded himself as he kept running, solving whatever puzzles came in his way, ACTing and showing MERCY to every monster that came along to face him, until he reached a pile of leaves. On it there laid a white ghost, repeatedly saying 'Z' as if pretending to sleep, but Frisk's errand was important and he couldn't waste time, so he gently ruffled the leaves, asking the ghost to allow them to pass._

\- can't do it...sorry... _said the ghost.  
_ \- Please, come on, you seem like really nice for a ghost _, Frisk ACTed.  
_ \- heh... _the ghost's eyes seemed to glow with content.  
_ \- Yes, you're a really nice ghost. You don't want to hurt me, _Frisk ACTed again.  
_ \- heh...heh... _  
_\- Yes, we can be friends! _Frisk ACTed once more.  
\- _let me try... _the ghost said as the tears formed a top hat._ i call it...'dapper blook.' do you like it? _  
-_ Of course, it looks so nice on you, _Frisk said, a soft smile forming on his face.  
_ \- oh gee... _the ghost said._ I usually...come to the Ruins cause there's nobody around...but today...i met someone nice...  
\- Heh, can you let me pass now? _Frisk said, his left hand extended to the ghost.  
_ \- oh. i'm rambling again...i'll get out of your way, _the ghost said as it vanished._  
\- Thank you, Mr. Ghost! _Frisk said in the empty room._

* * *

 _After a rather long walk and many puzzles ahead of him, Frisk managed to reach a crossroads. On his left stood a corridor, and in front of him, the pathway seemed to go for some while. He decided to see what was at the end of the pathway, only to find another Froggit next to a door. "Ribbit. Just between you and me...I saw Toriel coming out of here with some groceries." Frisk smiled and thanked the small frog. "It means I have to go to the left, on that crossroad." he thought as he went down the pathway and darted for the left passageway, only to see a darkened tree with leaves around it. He heard Toriel's voice saying "Oh dear, that took longer than I had expected" and how she was calling him, the phone ringing in Frisk's pocket. Toriel, shocked to see the child, immediately rushed towards him. "How did you reach until here, my child? Are you alright?"  
Frisk smiled gently and reassured her he was okay and he didn't get hurt at all. Toriel smiled back and, proud that the child managed to reach here safely, said:_

\- Come, small one. I have a surprise for you. _  
_\- A surprise? For me? _Frisk said as he SAVEd._ Well, I'm curious! _he said as he darted towards the small house's entrance.  
_ \- Smell that? It's butterscotch-cinnamon pie! _Toriel said, happiness glinting in her eyes.  
_ \- Oh, it's such a cute surprise, _Frisk said as he hugged her, and Toriel returned the embrace.  
_ \- I have something more to show you, child, _she said as she took Frisk's hand._ Here, this is your room, _she said as she pushed the door gently._

 _The room in the small house of the Ruins was carefully decorated, the walls had the same creamy paint Frisk noted the whole house was painted in, and there was a large red bed, a wardrobe, a cabinet full of drawers and on top of the cabinet, there was an empty photo frame. It seemed that this room was previously occupied by someone else, and now it belonged to Frisk. Frisk felt quite embarassed, to receive all that attention and care from a complete stranger, but knowing how Geno Frisk was corrupted into killing Toriel, he was DETERMINED to set things right, and Geno Frisk loved Toriel as much as Pacifist Frisk did. Toriel told the child to make himself cozy and ran to save the butterscotch-cinnamon pie that she was baking. He decided to sleep on the big warm bed, and after two long hours of sleep, he opened his eyes to find a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie lying on the floor, which he rapidly took._

 _Frisk opened the door to his room and decided to go in the living room, where Toriel was sitting on her armchair, reading a book. She seemed quite absorbed in the book, when Frisk tugged gently on her robes. The motherly monster picked him up on her lap and told him more about the book she was reading, "72 Uses for Snails." Frisk never seemed to get tired to listen to her voice, but, a memory of Geno Frisk popped in his head._

"-You wish to know how to return 'home', do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it."  
\- My child? Are you alright? _Toriel asked, seeing Frisk was phasing out of reality.  
_ \- Yes, Toriel, _Frisk nodded._ However...I have something I wanted to ask you, _he continued, embarassment flushing on his face._  
\- What is it, child? _She asked gently, ruffling his hair.  
_ \- Could I call you...'Mother'? _Frisk asked, burying his head in her bosom.  
_ \- Would that make you happy, my child? _Toriel asked, visibly blushing and happiness glinting in her eyes again.  
_ \- Of course! You...make me feel safe, Mother. Mama...Mama Tori, _he said, with a smile, burying his head even more, softly embracing her._

 _The fire in the Frisk's heart was rising even further, as he belonged to Toriel, he felt proud to be her child. He was, in part, remembering what Mr. White of the human world said, that if he ever got a family, he should stay with them. And Toriel was family, because he never felt safer than here, the scent of fire and cinammon was enveloping him in full love. But, he had to free the monsters, as Sans carefully instructed them, and he dreaded what was about to come next.  
_

* * *

 _-_ You wish to return 'home', do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it. _  
_\- Mama Tori, don't do that! Please...I have to leave, _Frisk began saying, but he was silenced by Toriel's pleas.  
_ \- Be a good child and return upstairs, _Toriel's soft voice continued to plea on Frisk.  
_ \- I'm afraid I can't do that, Mama Tori, _Frisk said, DETERMINATION glinting in his eyes.  
\- _Every human that falls down here meets the same fate..., __she began, recollecting memories.__ I have seen it again and again _ _, she said as tears were filling her eyes.__ They come. They leave. They die, _ _her eyebrows were furrowing at the last word.__ You naive child... If you leave the RUINS..., _ _she left out a soft sigh,__ they... ASGORE... will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?  
\- I understand, but I have to leave, _Frisk insisted._  
\- Please... go to your room, _Toriel insisted as well.  
_ \- I can't do that, Mama, _he said, the surge of DETERMINATION running through his blood.  
\- Very well, but d_ _o not try to stop me.  
_ \- I'm afraid I have to stop you, _Frisk said, tears forming in his eyes. He did not want to leave her.  
_ \- Then this is your final warning, _Toriel's voice lost any softness in that phrase._

 _Frisk continued to walk behind her, prompting the boss monster to say "_ _You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others," but Frisk shook his head. "_ _ _There is only one solution to this," she began as a fire began manifesting in one of her open paws. "Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive._ " she said as she furrowed her brows, fire emerging from both of her opened paws. Frisk stood there, with his SOUL in palms, almost praying that Toriel would not really kill him. He began ACTing towards her, trying to reason with her:  
_

\- Mama Tori...

 _Toriel was launching a wave of fire towards the small child, and he, with his SOUL in his hands, dodged the attacks as well as he could, but the clothes were a bit burned. His HP was at 15 now._

\- Please, don't do this to me!

 _Toriel swept her fiery paws towards the child, and he got hit on his shoulders - he used his shoulders as shield, and he could feel the burns and bruises that were sure to form. Even so he didn't flinch at her unyielding fury, she was just thinking that Frisk was like the other children, who perhaps fought back. But Frisk wasn't the type to fight back, and now his HP was down to 9. And to him it seemed like talking wasn't the way out of this situation. He left his SOUL hovering before his chest, and lowered his hands down._

\- I refuse to fight you, _said Frisk, remembering the meaning of MERCY._

 _Toriel was caught up by surprise as this child refused to fight her, but she kept sending fireballs his way. Frisk dodged them all with ease, and kept up his MERCY._

\- I said I refuse to fight you, Mother, _Frisk continued._

 _She continued to attack him, and Frisk kept dodging. Her attacks were now easy to retain._

\- Mama Tori... I don't want to fight you! _Frisk firmly told her.  
_  
 _Frisk held once more against her fiery paws, and his HP was now down to 3._

\- Don't you see I don't think this is right? _Frisk told her, tears forming in his eyes._

 _Toriel was now slightly hesitating, wondering why the child never raised a hand, although he must've been suffering from the wounds she inflicted upon him._

\- Please, cease this fight, _the child pleaded her, as he held out his hand.  
_  
 _Now Toriel was confused, and she began ACTing towards the child. "What are you doing?"  
_  
\- I want you to stop fighting. This is not right, _Frisk said._

 _Toriel was not flinching at all. "Attack or run away!" she demanded of the child._

\- No. I won't attack. And I won't run away, _Frisk continued his pleas._

 _Toriel was still unmoved by the child's bravery. "What are you proving this way?"_

\- I'm proving fighting is not a solution to a conflict, _Frisk boldly told her, DETERMINATION filling his veins, glinting in his eyes._

 _Toriel, still unmoved, demanded that the child would fight her. "Fight me or leave!"_

\- NO, _yelled Frisk._ I will not fight, _he said as he dodged her fiery attacks one more time._

 _His HP was now 2, and for some reason, Toriel began acting aloof seeing the child's health dropping like this. He looked at her with pleading eyes, loving eyes. He loved her more than anyone in this whole world, and he didn't want to see her like this. She couldn't resist looking back to him, but she didn't want to falter. "Stop it.", she pleaded, but Frisk kept looking at her that way. "Stop looking at me like that," she urged him._

\- Mama Tori. You mean the whole world to me. How could I ever hurt you? _Frisk said, a frown forming on his face._

 _Toriel was now rendered speechless. She couldn't understand how the child could love her this much._

\- You think I need to fight to prove myself worthy. I think I need to make friends to be worthy of love, _Frisk smiled._

 _Toriel was still at a loss for words. What could she possibly tell this child, seeing his unflinching bravery as she hurt him countless times? He refused to hurt her, albeit she was using her mightiest of attacks. He refused to lay a single hand on her. He loved her. "I know you want to go home, but..."_

\- Trust me, I really have to leave, even if it's obvious neither of us like it, _Frisk admitted._

 _Toriel pleaded once more "Please...go upstairs now, I promise I will take good care of you here," hoping the child would really change his mind._

\- I know you will, Mama Tori. But I have to leave, I'm sorry, _Frisk said, tears forming in his eyes._

 _The goat monster kept pleading "I know we don't have much...but we can have a good life here," as tears were slowly forming in her eyes._

\- I know, but please, you have to let me go _, Frisk said._

 _The boss monster frowned seeing the determination of this child. "Why are you making this so difficult? Please. Go upstairs."_

\- I'm sorry I'm causing you trouble, but I can't just remain here _, Frisk continued, DETERMINATION glinting in his eyes._

 _Toriel was reminded of her own stubborn attitude as a young monster, and she left out a soft laughter. "Ha ha...Pathetic, is it not? I can not save even a single child."_

\- It's not true, _Frisk said, boldly._ You saved me already. But I really have to leave.

\- No, I understand... _, Toriel said with a small frown._ You would just be unhappy trapped down there. The RUINS are very small once you get used to them, _she said as she looked away from the child._ It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear..., _she paused, tears running down on her face._ For you, my child... I will put them aside, _she said as she leveled down to Frisk and gently took him in a hug._

 _Frisk placed his arms around Toriel, burying himself in her bosom, griping her tightly. He did not want to let go of her protective arms, but Toriel, with a sigh, released the child from her hug. "Goodbye, my child," she said, her voice trembling. Frisk was crying himself, and he didn't want to show her his tears. Toriel was watching the child once more, as he was standing in front of the Ruins's door, and ran away with tears in her eyes.  
_

 _She was his shield, a shield of fire, and now her enveloping grace and scent of fire and cinammon was going to be missed. But his mission was important...and it included saving her as well. "Mama Tori...I love you, " Frisk whispered as he opened the great door of the Ruins._

* * *

 **\- OMG. Eight thousand words? I'm breaking my own records of writing. -  
Please, leave a review and a favourite if you like it!  
**


	13. (PR) Chapter III: Sans's Guidance

**A/N: Welp, second update of the day!  
I was inspired and determined to write this next chapter.  
Enjoy, lovelies! :)**

* * *

 _As he opened the giant door and treaded on the snowy pathway, the chilling cold began running down Frisk's spine. The great stony door closed behind him, leaving no option to turn back, but he didn't want to return too soon. He had to finish his mission, and save Toriel along. The scent of fire and cinammon pertained to his clothes from Toriel's warming hug, but it was slowly fading away in this snowy forest, and it filled the child's heart with dread. He was going to miss this feeling for a long time, but as he searched his pockets, he felt the old cellphone. "I can still call her, right?" he thought as he dialed her number. The ringing sound was going on for at least five minutes, but nobody picked up. That made Frisk's heart sink a little more, as now he wasn't even going to be able to talk to her. He placed back the cellphone and shoved his hands in the pants' pockets, starting to walk on the seemingly clear path that was cutting through the forest, he was leaving out tears to run down his face. He saw a tough-looking branch sitting in the middle of the road, and decided to walk past it, only to hear behind them a loud cracking noise. The branch was broken in two, effortlessly, and it was quite scary, as he knew he didn't have such force. Frisk continued walking on the path, his eyes still filling with tears, but he could feel he wasn't really alone in this whole forest, because there were times when he turned behind, feeling a pair of eyes watching him. After a long walk, at the end of the snowy pathway, stood a bridge, and gate-like pillars. He was considering if it was wise to walk through those, when he heard a rather familiar voice. "hey, buddy. remember me?" said the figure as it was approaching Frisk. Frisk immediately turned to him and hugged him. "Sans!" cried Frisk. "whoa there, buddy," Sans said as he blinked with his left eye. "you looked rather lonely down there, so i wanted to come by. you know...i'm supposed to look out for humans like you." Frisk smiled, but he remembered that one nightmare he had about Sans, and decided to immediately inform the young skeleton:_

\- whoa. so you say you had a nightmare battling me? damn. _  
_\- Y-yes...I-I was s-scared, I-, _Frisk sobbed.  
_ \- easy down there, bucko. you're my friend. I wouldn't hurt ya', trust me, frisk, _Sans said as he enveloped the frightened child in a hug.  
_ \- I-I believe you, Sans, said Frisk, _relieved at the skeleton's gentle hug.  
_ \- now...you know, even if i don't want to capture humans, papyrus...well he's a human-hunting fanatic, _Sans said.  
_ \- Oh. It means he really wants to capture me. I will refuse to fight anyway, _Frisk smiled.  
_ \- you know, buddy, come along through this gate. see that lamp? hide behind it. come on, go, before paps comes around.

 _Frisk hid behind the lamp that seemingly looked like himself, and listened to the skeleton brothers' conversation._

\- sup, bro? _asked Sans in his laid-back manner._  
\- YOU KNOW WHAT'S "-SUP-" BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL. HAVEN'T. RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION. WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING? _Papyrus asked, his eyes squinting.  
\- _staring at this lamp. it's really cool. do you wanna look?  
\- NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?! I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT, RECOGNITION...I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO BE, MY -FRIEND-? I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING.

 _Frisk was about to leave out a laughter hearing the other skeleton's speech, but managed to bit his lip before the sound would reveal his position._

\- maybe this lamp will help you, _Sans said, grinning.  
_ \- SANS, YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!  
\- hey, take it easy. i've gotten a ton of work done today. a skele-ton, _Sans said, widening his grin and winking with his left eye.  
_ \- SANS! _yelled Papyrus as he was stomping his foot nervously.  
\- _come on, you're smiling, _said Sans as he saw his brother's eyes widening.  
_ \- I AM AND I HATE IT! _Papyrus leaves out a sigh, before continuing his speech,_ WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME...HAS TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION...

 _Frisk was really sad hearing the skeleton's sadness. He was going to help him, no matter what.  
_ **  
-** wow, sounds like you're really working yourself... down to the bone, Sans said, grinning even more.  
\- UGH! _Papyrus said, visibly annoyed by his brother's jokes._ I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES... AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE -BACKBONE- INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! _Papyrus said as he was making a leave, but then returned for one last HEH! before fully leaving Sans alone._

 _Frisk wasn't really sure if it was safe to move away, but Sans waved towards him, "it's safe now, he's gone." Frisk was really concerned for Sans's brother, and he was wondering with what could he help. "ya'd better go now, he might return. and then you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes," Sans said as he winked with his left eye, to which Frisk left out a laughter. "Your puns are fun, Sans. But you're right, I must go." Frisk said as he made his leave towards whatever was coming next, but Sans stopped him once again, his pinpricks fixed to Frisk. "actually, could you do me a favor? i hate to bother ya with this, but papyrus has been quite sad lately...and seeing you just might brighten his day. what do you say?" Frisk agreed heartily, as he wanted nothing but be friends with everyone in his path. "okay. see ya in a moment," Sans winked to the child as he walked away. Frisk treaded on the snowy path, seeing a box sitting next to a forest. In it, was a Tough Glove, but he didn't feel the need to take it. He was happy with his Stick and Bandage, and closed the box. To the north, there was a snowman. He asked Frisk if he could carry a piece of the snowman with him, and Frisk carefully placed the snowman's nose in his pockets. "Thank you, kind traveller" was all that Frisk heard after he left the snowman, and headed east, where the skeleton brothers were waiting for him. He then realised Papyrus was the rather taller skeleton, with the orange outfit that resembled a hero's armor, and his demeanour instantly caught up to Frisk, as he saw how friendly Papyrus seemed to be. "AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE..." began Papyrus, only for him to be stopped by his brother, that pointed towards the human._

\- OH MY GOD, SANS, IS THAT A HUMAN? _Papyrus asked as he was watching a rock.  
\- _errr, no, that's a rock. but what's in front of the rock? _Sans said, smiling._  
\- WOWIE! _Papyrus yelled excitedly, as he saw the human child._ IS 'THAT' A HUMAN?  
\- yes, that's the human, Sans grinned.  
\- HUMAN, _began Papyrus in a serious voice,_ I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO PASS. SO...COME THIS WAY, IF YOU DARE, NYEHEHEHEHE! _Papyrus said as he ran away, leaving Sans behind.  
_ \- don't worry, i'll keep an eyesocket out for ya, _Sans reassured Frisk._

 _In front of Frisk, laid a huge ice-like square, and the skeleton brothers were on the other side of it, talking, but as Frisk came closer, Papyrus greeted him. "HUMAN, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THIS PUZZLE. EACH TIME YOU'RE GOING TO STEP WRONGLY, YOU'LL BE ADMINISTERED A HEARTY ZAP. THE AMOUNT OF FUN WILL BE QUITE SMALL FOR YOU.", but no longer after he finished saying this, Papyrus was given "a hearty zap", as he put it, and began berating Sans for mixing in with his puzzle. "i think the human has to hold the orb, paps." Sans motioned towards the child, and the taller skeleton walked on the puzzle, handing over the orb to Frisk. Little did he know, he was actually revealing the solution to this puzzle, and Frisk did nothing but follow the skeleton's footsteps, prompting Papyrus to marvel at the quickness with which the human solved his puzzle. "WOWIE! YOU REALLY SOLVED IT. BUT LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO ON THE NEXT ONE. THE NEXT ONE IS CREATED BY MY BROTHER, SANS!" Sans caught Frisk by the hand and thanked him for helping out his brother, "he looks like he's really having fun. thanks, frisk.", to which Frisk responded with a gentle smile and hurried down to the next puzzle. Again, an ice-like rectangle was unveiling before them, with a piece of paper lying on the ground. Frisk sat down on the ice, albeit it was quite chilly, and began solving the paper, which contained a Junior Jumble. The jumble itself didn't seem really difficult, as Frisk managed, with some tinkering, to solve it, prompting Papyrus to berate Sans again that the puzzle didn't do anything. "ah. i should've used today's crossword instead," said Sans, to which Papyrus disagreed, claiming "IN MY OPINION, JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST." but Frisk was really confused at Papyrus's statement. However, to appease the taller skeleton, he agreed with him. "HA HA HA! SEE? THE HUMAN MUST BE VERY CLEVER IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE DIFFICULT", Papyrus said, happy someone was finally agreeing with his opinion and left towards the next puzzle, but Sans knew that Frisk was just polite and wanted to see his brother happy. "thanks for saying junior jumble is more difficult just to appease my brother. yesterday he was stumped trying to 'solve' the horoscope." Frisk smiled, but was also understanding towards Papyrus._

 _As he was walking towards the next puzzle, Frisk saw a table that had a plate of spaghetti and a microwave on it. Next to the table was a note, from Papyrus._ "HUMAN. HERE'S A PLATE OF SPAGHETTI TO ENTICE YOU. LITTLE DO YOU KNOW IT'S A TRAP! AND WHEN YOU REALISE IT'S FROZEN, YOU WON'T BE MAKING ANY PROGRESS! THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS! - NYEH-HEH-HEH, PAPYRUS" _Frisk left out a soft chuckle, and decided to SAVE before going forward. "Papyrus's so funny..." the child thought. "He doesn't even realise he already gained a friend in me." And with that thought alone, Frisk's eyes were glowing with DETERMINATION. His urge was to call Toriel, but knew that she probably wouldn't pick up for him. The boss monster's presence was something he needed, in all this loneliness. After so many puzzles he crossed through, Frisk managed to reach a plateau, but he was placed to a halt by two hooded dogs holding axes. "Identify yoursmelf!" yelled one of the dogs, but Frisk remained silent. "Here's that weird smell...it makes me want to eliminate. Eliminate YOU," said the two dogs in unison as they prepared their axes to cut the human in two. Frisk's SOUL was glowing a bright white light, and was thinking on which ACT should he use - and it seemed like rolling over in the dirt would do. "Wait a second...are you actually a puppy?" asked the two dogs that were re-smelling Frisk. Frisk gently patted their heads, to which the dogs' minds were expanded. "Dogs can pet other dogs? Wow...Thanks, weird puppy!" Frisk smiled, knowing this way he gained more friends, and as he walked through another X and O puzzle, he reached another plateau where snow poffs were made, but one of them was hiding a white...tail belonging to a dog, which was in fact, a dog soldier! "Wow, you're really interesting, little fellow." Frisk said as he left out a laughter, petting gently the dog, and playing in the snow with it. The dog soldier, after being thoroughly pat and played with, allowed the little human to pass, not after licking their face. "Stop, stop it," Frisk pleaded as he was laughing even harder. "Thank you, Mr. Dogsoldier." Frisk pat the dog again, and he thought that was it. But, he was going to be "thoroughly japed" again by Papyrus and Sans, as Frisk was walking on a wooden bridge, and at the end, the two skeleton brothers were talking again._

\- NYEHEHEH! HUMAN, I HAVE PREPARED THE MOST CHALLENGING PUZZLE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR! _Papyrus said, as machinations were leaving out a hanging mace, two hanging spears, a hanging white dog, a cannon from which fire erupted, and another cannon, pointed towards Frisk._ NOW. WHEN I WILL SAY THE WORD, THE PUZZLE WILL ACTIVATE! EVERYTHING WILL MOVE VIOLENTLY UPSIDE DOWN. THE CHANCES FOR YOU TO SURVIVE THIS PUZZLE ARE RATHER SMALL.  
\- uh, what's the holdup, _asked Sans, seeing his brother didn't activate the puzzle, and Frisk was standing these unflinching.  
_ \- HOLDUP?! WHAT HOLDUP? I WILL ACTIVATE THE PUZZLE NOW! _Papyrus told Sans, a bit sweating._  
\- uh, that doesn't look, uh, very activated, _Sans snickered.  
_ \- WELL! I...THINK THIS PUZZLE IS WAY TOO EASY TO CAPTURE THE HUMAN WITH! I'M A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! AND THIS PUZZLE HAS NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES! _Papyrus gestured towards the puzzle, deactivating it, to which Frisk was relieved.  
_ \- WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, HUMAN? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEHEHEHE...HEH? _Papyrus smiled as he left.  
_ \- man, isn't my brother cool? _Sans asked Frisk.  
_ _  
Frisk was happy to nod heartily, as he was making his way towards wherever the road was leading him to. He wanted to tell Toriel about the many friends he made, and how dearly he misses her. "I suppose I'll have to tell her all this another time," Frisk thought, sadness bearing in his soul.  
_

* * *

 _The small, but hospitable town of Snowdin was laying in front of Frisk's eyes, as he saw a small shop, an inn, and further in the distance, a few locals around a decorated tree. "Welcome to Snowdin!" said the big sign at the entrance, and Frisk noticed the yellow star of a SAVE. "SAVED", the prompt came, and then he decided to buy something. He had more than enough money to spend on a few treats and to rest for a bit. He entered the first building, which felt like a shop, judging by the whole lots of supplies that were literred around the rafters. Behind the counter, there was a rabbit saleswoman, dressed rather country-like, and who looked at Frisk with some suspicion. Frisk noticed the symbol he saw on Toriel's clothing - but he still didn't know what it meant. However, Frisk managed to learn more about monsters' history - apparently monsters were living here for quite a long time, and a few of them moved from the Ruins to here. Whenever there was a word about the Ruins, his mind flew to Toriel, and he excused himself as he left the shop, buying a few Cinnamon Bunnies. He placed them in his pockets, carefully, and then searched for the cellphone, fiddling with it. He dialed Toriel's number one more time, but again, nobody picked up. Frisk left out a long, sad sigh, as he went to the inn next door, paying 80 G for just two minutes. He thanked the innkeeper and went on exploring the town. The rabbit saleswoman said something about a library, so he went straight to it. The orange building had a mis-spelled sign, "LIBRARBY", but the monster tending to the library knew about it. She invited the human to read the books, and Frisk wanted to do so - but the only table existent was the one occupied by three monsters - so the child decided they would read standing. The first book they picked up contained something about monsters' SOULs, "_ _Love, hope, compassion...This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. But the absolute nature of "SOUL" is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULs don't need these things to exist." Frisk grimaced a bit at this part, because he already knew love, thanks to Toriel's careful protection and Sans's attentive guidance, and he decided to close this book. Picking up another book, it wrote something like this..."Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their SOUL._ _If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken._ _And the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us._ _Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill..._ _Um, let's end the chapter here..." Frisk shuddered as he remembered Geno Frisk's struggle when he was compelled by Chara to kill monsters. "Wow, this...better not read any of this", thought Frisk as he closed this book and placed it back on its shelf. A third book, colored blue, was talking about magic, "w_ _hile monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water._ _Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us._ _But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic._ _They'll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card..."_

 _Frisk's eyes flew open. "Monsters express themselves through magic? Wow, this is something new, even for me." He thought as a small smile formed on his face, and placed this book back, taking the next one, which was red. It contained a report regarding monster funerals, to which Frisk shuddered once more. "_ _Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person's favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing... " Frisk closed the book as quickly as he got it, for him to think "This is truly sick."  
He thanked the librarian for allowing him to read such amazing books, and he exited the orange building. Ahead of him lied a huge house, beautifully decorated, and next to it a nice wooden shed. Frisk knocked on the big house's door, but there was no answer. He then proceeded walking away towards - wherever the heck the road was leading to, anyway - only to be stopped by Papyrus. Frisk remembered that Sans warned them about some sort of "special attack" his brother was using, but he wasn't quite sure of what was that about._

\- HUMAN. _  
_\- Yes, Papyrus? _asked Frisk._  
\- ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. _  
_\- What kind of feelings? _Frisk raised an eyebrow as Papyrus was telling that.  
\- __FEELINGS LIKE..._ _THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER._ _THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS._ _THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL._ _THESE FEELINGS... THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!  
_ \- Hey, how did you know? _Frisk said, a tint of embarassment filling his face._  
\- _I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY._ _AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT._ _I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE.  
_ \- You don't? It means you have a lot of friends _, Frisk said, a happy smile on his face.  
-_ _I PITY YOU... LONELY HUMAN..._ _WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER!_ _I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR...  
\- You'll be my friend? Frisk held out his hand, hoping Papyrus will hug him.  
_

 _Papyrus went silent, before he tried to convince himself it was all wrong to be the human's friend._

\- _NO... NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND!_ _YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU!  
_ \- You really think you have to capture me? _the human child said, a small frown forming on his face._  
\- _THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!_ _POWER! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS!_ _THE NEWEST MEMBER... OF THE ROYAL GUARD!_

 _Papyrus held out a bone rapier, ready to attack Frisk. "READY TO FIGHT, HUMAN?" the tall skeleton asked him, a chuckle escaping from his teeth.  
_  
\- No. I don't want to fight you, _Frisk said, leaving their SOUL hovering and arms down.  
_ \- SO, YOU WON'T FIGHT, EH? LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED 'BLUE ATTACK'!

 _An array of blue bones were launched towards Frisk. He somehow remembered to stay still. None of the bones hurt him, which surprised Papyrus. But no sooner than that, Frisk's SOUL turned blue, forcing him to be pressured by gravity. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK! NYEHEHEHEH!" Gravity was pressuring Frisk, but he was dodging almost well the bone attacks, as only a few of them grazed his clothes, leaving some some wounds on his hands. One of the attacks hurt him just where Toriel hit, on his shoulders, and he left out a yelp of pain. But DETERMINATION was filling Frisk's blood and eyes, and he kept steady. His HP was now at 16._

\- I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY! PAPYRUS: HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD! PAPYRUS: UNPARALLELED SPAGETTORE! UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME! _  
_\- I'm sure your l-leaders w-will be p-proud _, Frisk said weakly.  
_ \- I'LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS! BUT...HOW WILL I KNOW IF PEOPLE SECRETLY LIKE ME?

 _In spite of his wounds, Frisk continued to dodge the bones shot at him, a few again hitting him on old wounds. "He's strong, but he doesn't really put in the attacks, I can see...he doesn't really want to hurt me." And Frisk was right, as he continued showing MERCY._

\- I already like you, Papyrus! _the child said.  
_ \- SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS REALLY RARE..., _Papyrus began saying to Frisk._ _ _I DON'T THINK THEY'LL LET YOU GO...__ _AFTER YOU'RE CAPTURED AND SENT AWAY.  
_ \- You really care that much about capturing me? _Frisk's eyes were sad.  
\- __URGH... WHO CARES! GIVE UP!_ _GIVE UP OR FACE MY... SPECIAL ATTACK!_

 _"Uh oh." thought Frisk. "This time he seems to genuinely want to hurt me?" Frisk's expression turned into a frown, but he continued showing MERCY._

\- A special attack? Wow. And I thought you just had the blue attack. You're really cool, _Frisk said.  
_ \- THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE... BEFORE MY SPECIAL ATTACK! _  
_\- I'm still not going to fight you, Papyrus _, Frisk insisted.  
_ \- BEHOLD...! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!

 _A small, white dog was munching on a bone, and as Papyrus realised the canine was chewing on it, he went on full rage. "_ _WHAT THE HECK! THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY! YOU STUPID DOG! DO YOU HEAR ME!? STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE! HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK! ... OH WELL. I'LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK." Frisk left out a hearty laughter at Papyrus's reaction, but was ready for his 'regular cool attack'. Papyrus left out a frustrated sigh, as he said towards the wounded human...  
_  
\- HERE'S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK. _  
\- Wow, that's impressive, Frisk praised, seeing the "COOL DUDE" attack and the crowd of bones, which were completed by a giant bone in the end.  
_ \- WELL...! _Papyrus began huffing,_ IT'S CLEAR... YOU CAN'T! DEFEAT ME! _  
\- Yes, that's true. I don't want to, Frisk smiled.  
_ \- YEAH! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS! THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY! I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY. _  
_\- Finally, Papyrus. I was waiting for your MERCY, _Frisk said as he accepted it, his SOUL placing itself back, still emitting the faint white light._

Frisk's wounds were not severe, but they still hurt. He really could've used Toriel's healing magic right now...but he had to be thankful for the few bandages he kept safely in his pockets, wincing each time he applied a bandage over his wounded shoulders. Her fire was still deep in the wounds, so he realised it would hurt only until she will heal these wounds. "Mama Tori...", but Frisk was pulled back to reality by Papyrus's sniffles. "

 _NYOO HOO HOO..._ _I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU..._ _ _UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME._ "_

\- Come on, Papyrus, I don't think your leader will be disappointed, _Frisk smiled.  
_ \- I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD... AND...MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT! _  
_\- That is not true, Papyrus. Because I want to be your friend, _Frisk ran to hug the tall skeleton.  
_ \- REALLY!? YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS, WITH ME? WELL THEN... I GUESS... I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! _Papyrus said, visibly embarrassed._  
\- I'm glad you can do that for me, _Frisk smiled back to Papyrus._  
\- WOW! I HAVE FRIENDS! AND WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE THEM... _WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM?_ _YOU TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMAN.  
_

 _At that, Frisk couldn't help howling with laughter. "Papyrus! You're a one of a kind friend. I'm glad you decided to be my friend!"_

\- I WILL ALLOW YOU TO PASS THROUGH. AND I WILL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE.  
\- Okay, go on. I'm listening, _Frisk said, curiosity filling his face._  
\- CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN... WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER. _  
_\- What's that barrier? _Frisk asked, remembering faintly something he saw about a barrier before.  
_ \- THAT'S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT... _  
\- Nothing at all? Frisk's disappointment was a bit obvious in his voice.  
_ -... EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL... LIKE YOU! _Papyrus said, pointing towards Frisk.  
_ \- No, I don't really think-, _Frisk was about to say, but Papyrus interrupted him.  
_ \- THAT'S WHY THE KING WANT TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE! _  
_\- Oh. I understand..., _Frisk trailed off a bit, but still confused. He kept hearing about the king...  
_ \- OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU...TO REACH THE EXIT, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS...THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE. _  
_\- How's the king like? _Frisk asked, fearfully.  
_ -THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS...HE IS...WELL...HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER! EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY. _  
_\- Really? _Frisk's face lit up with relief._ He's kind, then? _  
_\- I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY..."EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR... CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?" HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! _  
_\- Dreemurr, that's a nice name he has, _Frisk remarked.  
\- __ANYWAY! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING!_ _I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND! Papyrus said, as he left the road in front of Frisk open._

 _Frisk returned to the big house, only to realise it was the skeleton brothers' home. He felt really embarassed and almost wanted to slap himself, but then decided to go hang out with Papyrus, like a good friend. "SO YOU'RE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS..." Papyrus said, as he toured around the small child. He saw Sans's pet rock, a number of quantum physics books and joke books, a sink that had a huge cupboard - Papyrus claimed he could fit more bones into it - only for the white dog to be again present, munching on his bones. "CATCH THAT MEDDLING CANINE!", Papyrus yelled, but the sneaky animal ran away before Frisk could even grab its' fur. "CURSES!" Papyrus stomped his foot, and Frisk left out a small chuckle. "What a pesky dog, really..."_  
 _What made Frisk howl with laughter was the sock full of notes. He could even imagine how the whole thing must've gone down...Papyrus surely stomped his foot, and Sans was comically grinning, and he just read the notes..._

"- SANS! PLEASE PICK UP YOUR SOCK! **  
-** ok.  
\- DON'T PUT IT BACK DOWN! MOVE IT! **  
-** ok.  
\- YOU MOVED IT TWO INCHES! MOVE IT TO YOUR ROOM! **  
-** ok.  
\- AND DON'T BRING IT BACK! **  
-** ok.  
\- IT'S STILL HERE! **  
-** didn't you just say not to bring it back to my room?  
\- FORGET IT!"

 _Frisk was seeing, each time he met a monster, a part of the family he'd ever dreamed of. The skeleton brothers would totally be the best friends he ever had, but now he was wondering what was up next. Hanging out with Papyrus was really fun - and truth be told, Papyrus was impressed at how well Frisk was hanging out with a friend, eating the finest spaghetti he ever had in life - "WOWIE, YOU REALLY LIKE MY SPAGHETTI! AND BY EXTENSION, ME!" Frisk's face scrunched up a bit, but thanked Papyrus nonetheless. "HERE, HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER. YOU CAN CALL ME ANYTIME. PLATONICALLY.", the tall skeleton said as he shared his phone number with Frisk. Frisk felt happy to have gained Papyrus's trust, and now he had someone new to talk to. Toriel didn't answer his calls for a long time, and somehow, he finally began doubting she wouldn't want to call him back. He knew her gentle nature, and was proud to name Frisk as her child. "I'll have to sort this out too. Either she doesn't really want to call me - which is truly impossible, as she cares for me, and I saw it in her eyes - or something happened with her phone." Frisk smiled as this thought was warming his soul. He then decided to walk further on the now-opened road from Snowdin to Waterfall.  
_


	14. (PR) Chapter IV: Undyne's Hopes

_**A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I love voicing out Frisk's thoughts.  
Warning, a lot of dialogue, and obviously spoilers.  
Also, Frisk witnesses the memory of Asriel / Chara, and his observations will be marked ***like this.*  
_

* * *

 _The road to Waterfall was quite noisy, as the sound of water falling down in the stream formed to Frisk's left side was echoing down the pathway. He could see a few blocks of ice, and he remembered Ice Wolf was throwing them, letting them float all the way here. "That wolf is surely very strong, and pleased to help cooling down the water. But what's the destination of those blocks," Frisk pondered as the stream seemed to get away from him. In front of him, there was a small hallway, to his left stayed a shrimp-like monster, wearing a blue T-shirt, and to his right was the Monster Kid, the one he met in Snowdin. "Yo! You sneaked up here to see her too?" the seemingly excited kid asked Frisk. Frisk nodded, although he had no idea who Monster Kid was talking about. "Cool...but please, don't tell my parents I'm here, okay?" Monster Kid's expression shifted from joy to concern. Frisk nodded again, although he never met Monster Kid's parents. The human child went to talk to the shrimp-like monster, instructing him about the Echo Flowers, and pointing towards the blue flower next to him. "The Echo Flower repeats the same thing it last heard, over and over."  
Frisk found that really intriguing, and after he SAVEd, touching the yellow star, he greeted Sans, who was manning the Waterfall station. The station had its' roof covered in snow, and it seemed typical for Sans' stations. "hey buddy. wanna come with me at grillby's?" Frisk nodded in agreement, and Sans used a shortcut to lead them back to Snowdin. The restaurant was filled with a large variety of customers - the dog couple, the dog soldier, that dog annoyed by movement, a monster flower...and behind the counter was a fiery-like monster, that manned the whole restaurant. The customers greeted Sans the moment he entered "Hey Sans / Hiya Sansy~" and Frisk was smiling at the number of friends Sans was having - but to Frisk, it wasn't really surprising, because Sans' jokes were fun. One of the monsters was rather surprised to see the small skeleton back so soon "Weren't you here for lunch like ten minutes ago?", to which Sans replied comically "nah, i wasn't here for at least half an hour. you must be talking about 'brunch'" and everyone in the room burst in laughter. Sans motioned to Frisk that he should sit down, but the moment Frisk sat down on a stool, the sound of a whoopee cushion was heard. "whoops. watch where you sit. sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the stools," the skeleton said with a grin. Frisk suspected Sans was behind the joke, and he placed a big smile, while laughing._

\- so, whaddya want to eat, bucko? _the skeleton asked Frisk.  
_ \- I'll have some fries, _Frisk said, still smiling.  
_ \- okay, buddy. grillbz, that be two orders of fries. thanks _,_ _Sans said towards the fiery-like monster.  
\- _so, frisk. what do you think of my brother? _Sans asked, as if he wasn't sure of something.  
_ \- He's really cool, and amazing! I liked hanging out with him, _Frisk said, in all honesty, with a soft giggle.  
_ \- oh. of course he's cool. he wouldn't take off that 'battle body'...only if he had to.  
\- He has a rather interesting sense of fashion, _Frisk commented, remembering 'the cool dude' outfit Papyrus wore during their hangout.  
_ \- anyway, he still washes that thing. and by that i mean he is taking his showers in it, _Sans grinned.  
_ \- Oh. At least he keeps it clean, _Frisk agreed._

 _Just as Frisk and Sans were talking about Papyrus, Grillby brought in the two orders of fries, which were a bit hot, but good enough to eat. "here come the grub," Sans noted as the fries were carefully placed in front of the two. Frisk was really hungry, as he could hear his stomach rumbling. "want some ketchup, bucko?" Sans asked Frisk, but the child politely refused. "oh well. more for me then," Sans added as he drank the whole ketchup in front of Frisk. The child was surprised, but his hunger was more important now, and he began munching on a few of those fries. Sans's expression changed for a bit, as he wanted to ask Frisk something, and the child was all eyes and ears on him. Suddenly, time seemed to stop around the two, and Frisk believed - although he wasn't far from the truth - that Sans doesn't want anyone else to know, and whatever knowledge he was about to pass down on him would prove essential for Frisk's survival._

\- lemme ask you something, frisk, _Sans said, in a rather serious voice._  
\- Sure, Sans. What is it? _Frisk asked, a look of concern on his face._  
\- have you ever heard of a talking flower? _the skeleton asked Frisk._  
\- I suppose I have, yes? _the child said, scratching the back of their head in confusion._  
\- then you know all about it. the echo flower. it repeats the same thing it heard, over and over... _Sans began saying._  
\- Ah, those blue flowers? _Frisk jolted, remembering the blue flower close to Sans' Waterfall station._  
\- the thing is...sometimes these flowers appear in weird places, whispering things like... _Sans trailed off, not knowing how to say things._  
\- Like what? _Frisk encouraged the skeleton._  
\- advice. encouragement. flattery... or even predictions, _Sans's grin lessened._  
\- Predictions? _the child asked, with utter surprise on his face.  
_ \- paps told me a rather interesting thing the other day. _  
_\- What was that? _Frisk pressed on.  
_ \- he told me he was talking to a flower. and that it said curious things to him. i think someone's playing a trick on poor paps. _  
_\- That's really strange..., _the child uttered.  
_ \- yeah. i wanted to warn you about these flowers, cause...you know. i want you to keep an eye out, _Sans said, his tone still serious.  
_ \- Sure, Sans, I will, _Frisk nodded._  
\- thanks, kid, _Sans grinned in the end._

 _Time seemed to run again, as Frisk noted the fiery monster's flames were now moving. "by the way," Sans asked, "could you foot the bill for me? it's just 10000 G." the skeleton grinned. Frisk refused, as he didn't have that much money, but the skeleton was just joking with the kid around. "i can't believe you pulled me out of work for such a long time," Sans motioned towards the child. He then told Grillby, in his casual manner, to place the orders on his tab. "i was going to say something, but i forgot," Sans waved to Frisk as he left out the restaurant. The kid was completely dumbfounded to see Sans leaving like that, so he ran back towards the Waterfall station he was manning. "heh. sorry for leaving like that. let's hang out some other time, okay?" Sans excused himself towards Frisk, to which the child responded with a hug and nodding in agreement.  
The pathway ahead of him was about to be riddled with dangers, because he was passing on a parallel route with the Royal Guards' Hall, where Undyne was staying. Just as he reached some bushes, he could hear a conversation between Papyrus and someone else._

\- H...HI, UNDYNE, I, I'M HERE WITH THE DAILY REPORT YOU ASKED, _Papyrus began telling, nervously._  
\- So, did you manage to catch that human? _a strong, female voice rang across the hall._  
\- N-NO. I DID NOT, _Papyrus said meekly._  
\- Have you even at least fight them? _the voice pressed on._  
\- Y-YES, I DID! I-I F-FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY..BUT I FAILED, _Papyrus tried to summon his courage.  
_ \- Darn it, Papyrus! I'm going to do it myself _, the female voice rang, anger in her timbre.  
_ \- Y-YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF? UNDYNE...P-PLEASE, DON'T DO THIS... _Papyrus said, his voice a plea.  
_ \- And WHY should I NOT? He's standing in front of our hopes! Don't you tell me you like the human! _the female voice said, anger turning into sheer rage.  
_ \- IT'S JUST...Y-YOU SEE, HE'S- _, Papyrus tried to convince the female guard.  
_ \- NO, Papyrus, he's our enemy! I need you to tell me exactly what is he wearing, so I can find him _, the guard roared.  
_ \- Y-YES, UNDYNE. I WILL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN, _Papyrus' voice dropped with sadness as he left the hall.  
_

 _The wind howled through the bushes, and Undyne was staring in rage towards the parallel road, summoning a spear. She waited for a few moments, and easing her mind, she called off the spear, retreating in the darkness, one of her eyes shining with fury. As Frisk got out of the bushes, Monster Kid followed them, impressed at Undyne's display of might, "WOW, did you see that? What did you do to catch her attention?" Frisk shrugged, as he didn't want to be an enemy to anyone. "Come on, let's watch her beat up some bad guys!" Monster Kid ran, only to fall on his face and get up again. Frisk wanted to help out the poor Kid, but he saw that MK could handle it. A SAVE pont formed in front of Frisk, and as dreadful as that encounter was, he kept his DETERMINATION up, and marched on. Bridge Seeds were scattered all the way around the road, and he read a sign that said..."When four Bridge Seeds are lined up, they will sprout." and to Frisk, this was helpful, as he could reach various places that seemed innaccessible - it almost was like a puzzle, and the human child was more than happy to solve it. After a bit of trial and error, he could reach a lonely bench with an abandoned quiche, and also find his way on the path ahead. The phone began ringing in his pocket, and he recognized Papyrus's ID calling._

\- HELLO, THIS IS PAPYRUS! _  
_\- Hi, Papyrus, _said Frisk._ How did you reach me? _  
_\- HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER? IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS! _  
_\- You were very DETERMINED, _Frisk remarked, with a snicker in his voice.  
_ \- NYEH HEH HEH HEH! SO...I WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING. _  
_\- Yes, Papyrus, what is it? _the child pressed on.  
_ \- WHAT ARE YOU WEARING...? _  
_\- Why do you want to know? _Frisk asked, seemingly embarassed now.  
_ \- I'M...ASKING FOR A FRIEND. _  
_\- Ah. I'm wearing a striped shirt, I carry a stick and I have bandages all over me, _Frisk softly laughed.  
_ \- SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A GROSS BANDAGE. IS THAT TRUE? _  
_\- I already said I'm covered in bandages, so yes, it's true. _  
_\- SO YOU ARE WEARING A GROSS BANDAGE. GOT IT! HAVE A NICE DAY!

 _Papyrus ended the call, leaving Frisk confused. "Why do I feel he called just to make sure he paints a target of my size for that lady...Undyne, was it?" But the child didn't dawdle too much on the thought, as he entered a beautiful room where sparkling stones were shining brilliantly. "WISHING ROOM", said the sign he briefly examined, and then began listening to the nearby Echo Flowers - even though Sans warned him they were strange. "A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky..." The voice was unknown to Frisk, but it was telling a story, and he wanted to hear it all. "If you hoped with all your heart, your wish could come true...Now, all we have are those sparkling stones on the ceiling." The child frowned a bit, hearing this sad story - it seemed like the monsters missed being out there, in the world Frisk came from. "If I want to return, I want to return with them by my side," he thought, as he examined the rest of flowers. "Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that." Frisk was still thinking how the king was actually, and, as he passed on to the next flower, he could hear a passing conversation:  
_

"- C'mon, sis! Make a wish!  
\- I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday..."

* * *

 _Frisk smiled a bit at this small dialogue, and he noticed a telescope. Although these were sparkling stones, they were beautiful, and it would be rude of him not to look at them for a moment - they truly resembled the stars he often gazed at when he was young. But he didn't really have time to spend here, and he walked forward on the road - he could note a few ancient writings on a wall nearby. "Every single bit of this journey...I feel like I'm trying to piece something up here." Frisk's instinct called out. The child began looking at the writings with interest, although he could barely make out all of the words. "The War of Humans and Monsters." Frisk flinched, as he couldn't believe the story had a grain of truth in it. He was always in favor of the monsters, and now he had the chance to see the tale from their side..."Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed like they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster...just to equal the power of a single human SOUL." Frisk shuddered, he never considered himself strong - but there was more to this story. "But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its' power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its' SOUL." Frisk's eyes were wide open, as he couldn't understand why would monsters kill humans, but then an illustration of a strange creature caught Frisk's attention, under the rather unsettling drawing stood the text, "A monster with a human SOUL. A horrible beast with unfathomable power..." The child could only think "This can't be good", as his entire spine was shocked by a chilling fear. As he walked down the path, spears were hurled at him out of nowhere. "Damn," Frisk muttered to himself as he was trying to dodge the array of spears that went after him incessantly, blocking a few of them with his stick. He caught a glimpse of an armored knight behind the pillars, and figured that must've been Undyne. "Welp," he thought as he was making a run for cover in some bushes laying out in front of him. Luckily, Monster Kid placed himself in front of Frisk, and just when Undyne thought she got the human...she grabbed Monster Kid's face. Obviously furious, Undyne retreated, and MK was nothing but excited he saw his idol so close. "Yo, did you see that?! Undyne just...TOUCHED ME! I'm never washing my face ever again!" Frisk could only chuckle and then sigh, as he realised how close to danger he was. "Man, are you unlucky. If you were standing just a LITTLE bit to the left...!" Frisk's expression went blank, but he managed to choke up a response. "Yup, I'm really unlucky."_

\- Yo, don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again!  
\- Yeah, that would be cool, _Frisk said, sweating._

Monster Kid ran away in his casual manner, and Frisk treaded on, looking for a SAVE point. "SAVED," came back the prompt. "Phew. I was this close to die, and I didn't get a chance to show MERCY to this monster." Frisk was thinking, when he saw a familiar face.

\- Sans! What are you doing here? _the child hugged the skeleton.  
_ \- i'm thinking about getting into the telescope business, _Sans grinned.  
_ \- You really work yourself out, Sans, _Frisk remarked.  
_ \- it's normally 50000 G to use this premium telescope...  
\- Really, Sans? _Frisk snickered, a soft giggle escaping them._  
\- hey, but, since i know you, you can use it for free, _Sans's eyesockets glinted with mischief._  
\- Wow, thanks, Sans, _Frisk said as he looked through the telescope._

 _The telescope had nothing but a red lens on it, and he couldn't see anything, yet he thanked Sans for letting him use the telescope. "no problem, kid," Sans's grin widening. Frisk went on his path, seeing a rather big pond, with lots of bridges, and he spotted a few Echo Flowers. "Maybe they can tell more about those wishes-things." he thought, as he approached a few of them, carrying a passing conversation:  
_

 _\- So, don't you have any wishes to make?  
\- hmm...just one, but...It's kind of stupid._

 _Just as he was about to look for another Echo Flower, Frisk's phone rang again. "Papyrus...I wonder if my suspicions were right."_

\- HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS! _  
_\- Hi Papyrus, what's up? Why did you call me again? _  
_\- REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES? _  
_\- Yeah, I remember. What's that all about? _  
_\- WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW... _  
_\- Yes?... _Frisk pressed on.  
_ \- HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY...MURDERY. _  
_\- Oh, wow. That's bad, _Frisk said.  
_ \- BUT I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY. _  
_\- No, not exactly, _Frisk continued.  
_ \- AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT...I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE WEARING. A GROSS BANDAGE!

 _"I was right." Frisk thought instantly, his face darknening a bit. "So he helped Undyne...well that's his job. Nevertheless, this will not deter me from becoming friends with her."_

\- HUMAN, ARE YOU STILL THERE? _  
_\- Yes, Papyrus _, the child responded, after a brief pause._ So, what was the outcome? _  
-_ I KNEW, OF COURSE...THAT AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION...YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. _  
_\- Papyrus, really, I don't know what to say- _  
_\- YOU'RE SUCH A SMART COOKIE! THIS WAY YOU'RE SAFE AND I DIDN'T LIE! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE! _  
_\- Wow, thanks for the compliment, Papyrus. As for the safe part...I don't really know what to say. But it's good you didn't betray anyone, right? _  
_\- BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY! _  
_\- Yes, Papyrus, _Frisk said, with a smile._

 _The call ended, and Frisk felt that dread hanging over him. Woshua, a strange turtle carrying a bird, and Aaron, a centaur-like triton, stood in front of the human wanting to challenge him, but Frisk really had no time for such foolish fights. "Sorry, guys, gotta run. I'll hang out with you later", he said as he smiled towards the two strange monsters. "Another Echo Flower," the child said as he listened to the passing conversation.  
_  
\- Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh!

 _It was related to the other flowers he passed by, and he thought the two siblings must've come to an agreement finally. As he was walking towards the next route, an ancient writing was glowing in the darkness. "The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared." Frisk shrugged, as he cared only about saving the monsters - if he had to, he would willingly give up on his soul. This next room proved to be interesting, as a huge onion-like monster emerged from the water, startling Frisk for a moment._

\- Hey...there...noticed you...were...here.  
\- Hello there, cute monster, _Frisk said, his SOUL emitting that faint white light again._  
\- I'm Onion-san. Onion-san, y'hear?  
\- I'm Frisk, y' hear? _Frisk replied._  
\- You're visiting Waterfall, huh?  
\- Yeah, I am, _he smiled._  
\- It's great, huh?  
\- Yeah, it sure is, _he politely responded._  
\- You love it, huh?  
\- Yes, it's so peaceful, _he clasped his hands in content._  
\- Yeah! Me too! It's my Big Favorite! _Onion-san yelled excitedly._  
\- Really? _Frisk asked, curiously._  
\- Yeah, even though the water's getting so shallow here...  
\- That's bad, _he admitted._  
\- I, have to sit down all the time, but...  
\- You don't have to do that all the time, _he advised her._  
\- He-hey! That's OK! It beats moving to the city...and living in a crowded aquarium!  
\- Can't really imagine how that is, _Frisk smiled weakly._  
\- That's okay though, y'hear? Undyne's gonna fix everything, y'hear?  
\- Sounds like Undyne is doing only good, _he grinned.  
_ \- Hey...there..that's the end of this room. I'll see you around, have a good time! _  
_\- Sure, thank you. You've been nice to talk to, _Frisk's grin widened.  
_

* * *

 _As he walked down the pathway, a shy siren-like monster approached him. "Oh, you look nice," Frisk complimented her, and as she began humming a tune, he felt the need to hum along. The melody made the siren-like monster feel much more comfortable around the human, and he showed her MERCY. "These monsters are really nice..." he thought as he walked up a room, where a piano laid. Hearing the song echoing down the hallway, he couldn't really resist not playing the song, and to his surprise, a door opened. He entered it, and found an artifact bearing a red colour. For some reason, he decided to call Toriel, only to hear her phone ringing in his pockets. "Wait, what? How is that ..." and as he reached his pockets, he felt a patch of fur, as if...he was carrying a dog. As he freed the dog from his pockets, the white dog immediately absorbed the artifact and ran away. Rubbing his forehead, he could only erupt in a fiery display of rage, remembering partially what he heard Papyrus say during their battle and hangout. "WHAT THE HECK! YOU MEDDLING CANINE! YOU TOOK TORIEL'S PHONE, SO THAT'S WHY SHE HASN'T BEEN ANSWERING MY CALLS ALL THE TIME?! UGH." Frisk exhaled, knowing his rage would lead nowhere, but at least, now he knew Toriel wouldn't have rejected his calls at all. "That pesky dog. I'll make him spit out Mama Tori's phone when I get him..." he snickered as he continued his journey, onwards. The rather darkened corridor had some ancient glowing writing on the walls, and further on, a statue in the shape of a helmet with horns, rain pouring down on it. The writing seemed to continue the story Frisk began piecing up..."So far...humans have feared the monsters because they can take their SOULs. I'm curious what more this story has to show me.", he thought, as he read the two plaques. "This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its' SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster."_

 _"Who'd want to do this, anyway," Frisk's mind was thinking, as he read on. "There's only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a 'Boss Monster'. A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death...if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will." Frisk shuddered, he read too much already. The idea of killing simply disgusted him, and as he reached the statue, he thought he should protect it from the ever-pouring water, so he went on until he found a rack of umbrellas. "Umbrellas? Here? This is strange...but I need to protect the statue", he said under his breath as he took one, and placed it over the stony helmet. Just as he placed the umbrella, a mechanism clicked, and a music box started playing. The song was eerily haunting, and he remembered what he played on the piano. "This music box...I feel like I could stay here forever, listening to this soft song. I'll hum for myself later..." Frisk thought as he went back to the rack of umbrellas and took one. Rain began pouring heavily, and he was smart that he took an umbrella. Puddles were forming at his feet, showing his reflection, yet getting soaked was the last thing on his list to-do, so he began running in the rain, holding the umbrella steady, until he bumped into Monster Kid, who stood there as he was getting slowly soaked.  
_  
\- Yo, you got an umbrella? _MK asked, already shivering from his wet clothes._  
\- Yeah, Monster Kid. Come along with me, you're getting all soaked up! _Frisk told him, almost sternly._  
\- Awesome! Let's go! _MK said excitedly.  
_ \- So, Kid, what were you up to? _Frisk began, trying to make some conversation.  
_ \- Man...Undyne is soooo cool. _  
_\- Yeah, she definitely is, _Frisk admitted.  
_ \- She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. _  
_\- That's what a hero does, right? _Frisk smiled.  
-_ If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night...knowing she was gonna beat me up! _MK laughed.  
_ \- Yup, that's totally what a human would do, _Frisk said, embarassed._

 _As MK saw an Echo Flower, he began recounting a memory that he seemed to particularly enjoy, or so the human child noticed..._

\- So, one time...We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower.  
\- Wow, that's really nice, looking after a plant, _Frisk admitted with a smile._  
\- The king - we had to call him 'Mr. Dreemurr' - volunteered to donate his own flowers.  
\- The king surely seems like a gentle monster, _the human voiced out his thoughts._  
\- He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsability and stuff.  
\- He's a really devoted leader, _Frisk noticed._  
\- That got me thinking...Yo, how COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school?!  
\- I'm not sure how that would go, _Frisk left out a few drops of sweat on his forehead, visibly afraid._  
\- She could beat up ALL the teachers! _MK said with excitement._  
\- Are your teachers all that bad? _Frisk couldn't help raising an eyebrow._  
\- Ummm...maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers...She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!

 _"I really hope so, because otherwise...things wouldn't end up good for me or her," Frisk thought. As he and MK were walking on the trail, in the distance, both could see a huge castle rising. The human child felt like his journey was going to come to an end, eventually - but this time, he was glad that the evil influence had nothing on him yet, and he was, in some ways, thankful to Genocide Frisk for his memories. The two children, monster and human, reached a ledge, and it was still raining. "Yo, you wanna see Undyne, right? Put up your umbrella and climb upon my shoulders."_

\- What about you, Monster Kid? How are you going to follow me? _Frisk asked, concerned.  
_ \- Go on ahead, don't worry about me! I always find a way to get through! _MK said as he ran and hit his face once more._

 _And so, Frisk was once again alone. He shrugged and went on the bridge lying ahead of him, as in the distance, a SAVE point was forming itself. "SAVED."_

* * *

 _He read the writings on the wall once more. "Didn't I say I'm done with reading this...argh. I must admit, the story so far went on about the war, and how boss monsters are the only one that have strong SOULs..." The ancient writings said..."The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust..." Realization dawned on Frisk, as he pieced together the whole side of the story. "They were attacked without MERCY?! Innocent monsters were killed in countless numbers? This...this...that's why monsters hate humans, right? But I'm...I'm a human. And I do not hate monsters. I...love them. I cherish them, I appreciate them. I...feel like a heavy burden was placed upon me. Monsters are my friends, and if any human dares to hurt them...I will be their shield." The child's logic felt so mature as he thought all this - to be put in such a situation, one child would refuse the burden. But Frisk took it all in tow. He hurried down the path, with the wind suddenly howling around them, and Undyne was again watching and wanting to kill them from the shadows...Scores of spears were thrown at Frisk, and he dodged them with difficulty, as they singed his clothes, leaving more and more wounds than before, hitting in places it already hurt. The child winced in pain, but he had to run, run for his life, until he got into a dead end, and finally saw Undyne for the first time, face to face. She was all armored, hatred glinting in her eyes, and she cut the bridge with three spears, forcing Frisk to take a long fall._

 _Frisk was unconscious for some time, and a memory of someone else played in his mind..._

"-It sounds like it came from over here...  
*Frisk could hear whimpers of pain from somewhere. He saw a small goat monster, with a green shirt and cream stripes, approaching a small human child.*  
\- Oh, you've fallen down, haven't you?  
*The whimpers of the child were audible, and he could see the effort the child put up to raise from the bed of flowers.*  
\- Are you okay?...Here...get up...  
*He could see how the goat child helped out the fallen human.*  
\- Chara...huh? That's a nice name. My name is..."

 _The flashback ended. "Wait. Chara? What the...Ah," Frisk realised. "This is a memory shared by this SOUL. Chara must've had the same SOUL as I did. Perhaps that's what makes it easier for her to take control when a Frisk is placed on a Genocide Route. Well, damn. I'm glad I didn't have to fight her over control so far...cause it wouldn't be good for anyone." Frisk was indeed acting like a detective, keeping in mind Genocide Frisk's memories. At times, even he could hear how Chara was whispering to "k ill them all...you'll have power beyond your imagination, " but each time Frisk ignored the voice in his head, the demon he had to fight. "Even a relentless killer has a chance for redemption," he uttered under his breath, remembering how Geno Frisk told Sans to pass on his memories, so the skeleton could prevent the demon from taking control in other timelines. Frisk's SOUL was emitting a white light, shining brighter than the sun, and he felt stronger than the demon, as he pressed on towards the yellow star of a SAVE. "SAVED."  
Frisk realised he was in a Garbage Dump, as piles of trash were smelling bad and were...well, piled up, and he made his way through the dirty water, noticing a rusted bike with a honk that left out a sound of despair, a cooler with no brand - but the cooler had Astronaut Food inside, and he picked up one bar - and a DVD case for an anime, with...desperate claw marks over it, as if whoever lost it didn't get it in time. A dummy was sitting in the dump, similar to the one in the Ruins, and Frisk sighed for a bit, remembering his first steps in that place. He stared at the small dummy for a moment, and then walked away slowly, but just when the child was about to reach the exit, the dummy moved in front of him, with a mad expression on his cotton face. "Hahaha...Too intimidated to fight me, huh?"_

\- Actually, _said Frisk,_ I hate fighting. _  
_\- I am a ghost that lives inside a Dummy _, the Mad Dummy said.  
_ \- Oh, pleased to meet you, _Frisk smiled.  
_ \- My cousin used to live inside a Dummy too, until... _  
_\- You mean, the dummy in the Ruins? He was nice! But...you were about to say something, sorry, _Frisk apologised.  
_ \- UNTIL YOU CAME ALONG! _the Mad Dummy roared.  
_ \- What was wrong with me? _Frisk asked, confused.  
_ \- When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat... _  
_\- I didn't say anything bad to him, _Frisk said, a puzzled look forming on his face.  
_ \- The things you SAID...Horrible, shocking...UNBELIEVABLE! _  
_\- What, that I like monsters so much? _Frisk grinned.  
-_ It spooked them right out of their Dummy! _Mad Dummy protested.  
_ \- Oh, come on, I didn't really say anything bad, _the child pouted.  
_ \- HUMAN...I'll scare your SOUL out of your body! _Mad Dummy laughed maniacally.  
_ \- Uh oh...

 _Mad Dummy began challenging the small human. But Frisk was going to show MERCY all the way, so his SOUL was emitting a white light, as he dodged the cotton attacks the dummies were shooting at him. "Pitiful, pitiful, PITIFUL", the Mad Dummy was roaring as the dummies he led were shooting cotton attacks all over towards the human, but Frisk was smart enough to make the attacks hurt the Mad Dummy instead, even if he wasn't really pleased with what he was doing. "OWW, you DUMMIES! Watch out where you aim your MAGIC attacks", to which Frisk snickered. "YOU. Forget I said anything about magic attacks", the Mad Dummy was sweating. "I'll defeat you and take your SOUL!" the Dummy roared as he launched more attacks, Frisk dodging them as well as possible. "I'll use your soul to cross the barrier!" which made Frisk think for a moment "Wow, every monster is obsessed with this barrier..."  
Each attack was stronger than before, and Frisk's HP dropped to a critical level a few times. Luckily, he ate the few treats he bought, apart from Toriel's Butterscotch Pie. "Whatever, whatever, WHATEVER!" the Mad Dummy roared, nervously, as if he didn't really care about anything else than killing the human. "HEY GUYS," began Mad Dummy to address to his minions, "Dummies. Dummies. DUMMIES! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me? Well...FAILURES! YOU'RE ALL FIRED! YOU'RE ALL BEING REPLACED!" Frisk could only laugh at the hysteria steaming from this cotton dummy. "Wow, he's getting worked out...but, he looks like he really wants to harm me. Damn." But the Mad Dummy was already commanding to the Dummy Bots,"DUMMY BOTS, MAGIC MISSILE!" and Frisk had to dodge them, but he got injured in the process, and he winced in pain. "Heck. I have to avoid these attacks as much as possible."_

\- N...No way! These guys are even worse than the other guys, _said Mad Dummy.  
_ \- Wow, you're really insulting them, _Frisk said.  
\- Who cares. Who cares. WHO CARES! I DON'T NEED FRIENDS!  
_\- That's a pity, I hoped you could be my friend, _Frisk pouted.  
_ \- I'VE GOT KNIVES! _Mad Dummy said, throwing a knife towards Frisk.  
_ \- One knife? Yikes, you're really scaring me out, _Frisk said.  
_ \- I'm...out of knives, _Mad Dummy chickened out.  
_ \- Better for me, I can MERCY you even more, _Frisk chuckled.  
_ \- BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER! _Mad Dummy yelled._ YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU. _  
_\- What a realization dawned on you, _Frisk snickered.  
_ \- YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME...forever. FOREVER! _  
_\- Really? Wow, then's gonna be a long MERCY to give, _the child said, holding his left hand._

 _Suddenly, acid rain was pouring..."Wh...What the heck is this," the Dummy said, his voice cracking. "Forget it, I'm outta here!" he said as he ran away as quickly as possible. After the dummy left, Frisk recognized who saved them, the ghost from the Ruins, and he smiled. "sorry, i interrupted you..., didn't i?"_

\- No, you actually saved me, _Frisk cheered._  
\- as soon as i came over, your friend immediately left... _the ghost was saying with a sad voice._  
\- No, it's alright, he wasn't ...that friendly as I thought, _Frisk told him._  
\- oh no...you guys looked like you were having fun...  
\- Yeah, it was fun until he decided to put up a knife towards me, _the child shuddered._  
\- oh no...i just wanted to say hi... _the ghost said, timidly._  
\- It's okay, I'm glad I saw you around, _Frisk said, as he gently waved his hand towards the ghost._  
\- well...i'm going to head home now...  
\- Oh, you have a home? That's cool, _the child said, excitedly._  
\- uh...feel free to come with me if you want to...but no pressure...i understand if you're busy...  
\- I would love to visit your house! _Frisk said, a patient smile growing on his face._  
\- hey...my house is up here...in case you want to see...

* * *

 _The calmness of this area filled Frisk with more DETERMINATION than ever, his eyes were glinting. "Maybe I can find out their name, finally. I'm sure I can make friends with them as well," Frisk pondered as he SAVEd. He walked up where the ghost asked him to come, and he entered the blue house. "oh...you really came," the ghost's voice was filled with surprise._

\- Of course, you were nice to me in the Ruins. So...I think of you as a friend, _the child said, his eyes glinting with hope._  
\- sorry...it's just, i wasn't expecting that...  
\- Don't apologise, you had your reasons to doubt I would come, _Frisk said._  
\- it's not much, but make yourself at home, _the ghost motioned towards the child._

 _Frisk's stomach was rumbling, and his first instinct was to check the fridge. "It's full of ghost-like food," he thought. "do you want a ghost sandwich," the ghost asked Frisk, but the child politely refused, as if he was somehow doubting he would be able to eat it. "after a great meal, it's family tradition to lie down...and feel like garbage. do you want to lie down with me?" Frisk agreed and he lied down alongside the ghost...after a moment, he could feel himself phase out of reality, and see stars and galaxies forming in front of his eyes. Frisk then rose up and examined the rest of the ghost's house, and his attention was picked up by the small tv that stood next to the fridge. "that's my tv...there's a show i like to watch on it...sometimes."  
_  
\- how's that show? is it good? _he asked.  
_ \- yeah...it's pretty fun...sometimes, _the ghost replied.  
-_ hey, what's that on your computer? _Frisk asked, curiously._  
\- oh...that's a music-sharing forum i like to browse...it's cool...i got three good albums thanks to them...  
\- can I play one of those? _Frisk asked as he pointed to the three CD's laying down on the floor.  
_ \- those are the albums...and yes...you can play one you like!

 _The three CD's had different labels on them..."Spooktunes", "Spookwaves" and "Ghouliday Music". Frisk choose to play the "Spooktunes," and he really liked them, it sounded like a cool trumpet, and a lot of musical effects. The ghost was happy that Frisk picked up that CD, "a classic spooktune, they don't make songs like these anymore..." The child thanked the ghost for letting him visit their house, but as he darted towards the next path ahead, Woshua and Aaron were walking by..._

\- what the HECK is that music! _Woshua began saying.  
-_ I-I I DUNNO DUDE, BUT IT'S SPOOKIN' ME OUT, _Aaron shivered, a wink escaping him._  
\- this is worse than Shyren, _Woshua critiqued the musical tune._  
\- No way, Shyren is way less scary, _Aaron kept winking._  
\- if you're so scared, why do you keep winking, _Woshua asked, obviously pissed._  
\- THESE ARE WINKS OF FEAR, _said Aaron._  
\- Forget it. This beat is too...filthy for me, _Woshua trashed as he left Aaron alone._  
\- Wosh, wait! Don't leave me here, dude! Is this creepy music my punishment for being creepy? _Aaron flexed himself out, still winking._

 _Frisk was howling with laughter after this funny encounter. He felt like was watching a comedy show, or something like that, but he didn't have much time to think on it. He had to press on, to make more friends! He smiled at the thought he will have a lot of friends around, and as he was going on the path, he saw an entrance with some ancient writing on it...saying..."Gerson's Shop." Frisk treaded in the shop carefully, and behind the counter was an old tortoise, with an explorer-like outfit. The child noted one of his eyes was injured, and he saw again the symbol that he found in the Snowdin shop and on Toriel's robes. Could this old tortoise tell him more about this strange symbol? "Woah there, kid!" his old, but happy voice greeted Frisk. "I've got some neat junk for sale!" Frisk took two Crab Apples and he then sat down on an old chair, wanting to talk to the old monster._

\- Mr. Gerson, I was hoping you could help me out, _Frisk began, choosing his words carefully._  
\- Say, what's that about, kid? What can I help you out with? _Gerson asked, taking at his turn a chair and sitting down in front of him._  
\- Well...I have a lot of questions.  
\- What do you want to know, kid? _Gerson laid back, with a smile forming on his face._  
\- Can I know more about yourself, first?  
\- Sure, child. I've been around a long time...maybe too long. Studying history sure is easy when you lived through so much of it yourself, wa ha ha!  
\- History? Well...can you tell me more about that symbol on your wall? _Frisk asked as he pointed towards the symbol that had two wings, an orb and three triangles in his composition._  
\- Eh, you don't know what that is?  
\- No, I don't, _Frisk admitted, as he never read anything anywhere about the symbol._  
\- What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays...? Wa ha ha!...Well, that's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom...of Monsters.  
\- The Delta Rune is the emblem of the Kingdom of Monsters...wow, I learnt something new. It sounds like a great name, _Frisk said, amazed by this new knowledge._  
\- Wa ha ha! Great name, huh? It's as I always say...Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name for beans!  
\- I'm curious, since when did it became your kingdom's emblem? And what was it's original meaning? _Frisk asked, his inquisitive nature showing in the presence of this old tortoise._  
\- That emblem, actually, predates written history. The original meaning has been lost to time...All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes...somethin' else, _Gerson paused in his explanation, as if he was waiting for more questions._  
\- What's that "somethin' else", Gerson? _the human child asked._  
\- Most people say it's the 'angel', from the prophecy...  
\- What prophecy, _the child asked, his mind trying to process all this information._  
\- Oh yeah...the prophecy. Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom.  
\- So, it is merely a legend? _Frisk's thoughts were running._  
\- Not entirely. Lately, the people have taken a bleaker outlook at this prophecy and the symbol...calling that winged circle 'The Angel of Death.'  
\- What would 'The Angel of Death' represent, _Frisk asked again._  
\- A harbinger of destruction, waitin' to 'free' us from this mortal realm...

 _Frisk's mind immediately reverted to Geno Frisk's memories, to the whispers he heard, and he could only draw a single conclusion. "The Angel of Death is Chara...there's no other explanation. If she's the one who does the negative side of the prophecy...then who's The Angel of Life?" Gerson noticed the concentration on the child's face, and he cleared his throat, forcing Frisk to be brought back to reality._

\- I'm sorry, Gerson. I was thinking about something. Go on, please, _Frisk excused himself, visibly embarassed._  
\- Well, as I was saying about that winged circle...in my opinion...I just think it looks neat! Wa ha ha!  
\- You see it as just a completion of the Delta Rune. I understand, _Frisk's voice turned serious._ I keep hearing about the King. How's he like?  
\- King Fluffybuns? He's a friendly, happy-go-lucky kind of guy... _Gerson began, his healthy eye filling with hope._  
\- So he is really nice towards everyone, _Frisk said._  
\- Yeah, I'm sure if you keep walking around long enough, you'll probably meet him. He loves to walk around and talk to people.  
\- That surely makes me feel better, Gerson, _Frisk smiled._ But, why do you call him "Fluffybuns"?  
\- Oh, that's a great story, _the tortoise said, smiling._ But I'm afraid I don't recall it right now. I'm sure...if you come back much later, I will tell you the story!  
\- That's a shame, but I'm happy you told me more about the King. I'm also curious about Undyne. How's she like? _Frisk's inquisitive nature was indeed paying off._  
\- Well, she's a local hero around here. Through grit and determination alone, she fought real hard to become head of the Royal Guard...and, I remember she came here asking about someone that looked just like you...I'd watch your back if I were you, kid, _Gerson warned Frisk.  
\- Yes, I will, thank you for your warm advice, Frisk shook the tortoise's paw before leaving._

* * *

 _As Frisk exited the shop and treaded on the path ahead, his attention was drawn towards another ancient writing to the wall. "Great...where was I...humans won the war and monsters were turned to dust", Frisk grimaced. The writing on the wall presented what Frisk considered the aftermath of the war. "Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave." The child's mind was now shocked - humans could do magic as well?! -but he continued reading the writings on the wall. "There's only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier...It will be destroyed. But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever." Frisk felt really, really bad for the monsters, and he crossed the next rooms in a hurry, as if he had enough of seeing monsters suffer. He reached a dead end, and an Echo Flower just appeared, saying..."BEHIND YOU.", making Frisk turn instantly. Undyne was now in front of him, fury unyielding in her eyes. "Seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king...King Asgore Dreemurr...will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity...and give them back the pain and suffering we have endured. Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your soul...or I'll tear it from your body." Frisk's eyes were filled with fear, but also with happiness, as his SOUL emitted a faint white light, hovering next to his chest, arms lowered - he was ready to show MERCY - but then, MK appeared in front of Undyne. "Undyne! I'll help you fight!" Frisk was sweating, seeing the blue spear pointed at him and MK, but Monster Kid didn't seem to get Undyne was willing to fight the human. "YO! You did it! Undyne is right in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!" Frisk was smiling weakly at MK's foolish interpretation of the events. "WAIT." MK squinted eyes. "Who's she fighting?", but just then Undyne picked up the little monster and carried him away from the human child. Frisk's only reaction was to exhale deeply, thanking heavens above he didn't have to fight Undyne yet.  
He then treaded towards a field of Echo Flowers, and he could read on a wall, the prophecy. "The Angel...the one who had seen the surface...will come down below and the Underground will go empty.", but Frisk already heard it, and treaded on a bridge that, on the right side, had a dangerous cliff. MK followed Frisk behind._

\- Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but...  
\- What's wrong, Monster Kid? _Frisk asked, curiously._  
\- I wanna ask you something, _MK trailed off._  
\- Sure, what is it?  
\- Man..I've never had to ask anyone this before...but, you're a human, right?  
\- Yeah, I am a human, _Frisk said, smiling._  
\- I knew it! Well...I know it now, I mean...Undyne told me 'stay away from that human.'  
\- Ah, did she, _Frisk continued._  
\- So, that makes us enemies or something like that.  
\- No, I don't think we're enemies at all, _Frisk smiled, holding his hand out towards MK._  
\- Oh come on, say something mean so I can hate you?  
\- I don't want to do that, _Frisk pouted._  
\- What? So I have to do it? _MK groaned._ Well, here goes nothing! Man...I-I hate your guts.  
\- That's actually a compliment, _Frisk laughed, softly._  
\- Man...I'm such a turd, _MK said, embarrassed._  
\- No. You're nice, _the human child grinned._  
\- I'm gonna go home now, _MK said, almost sad._  
\- I think your parents must be worried, _Frisk said, remembering Toriel's worries for him._

 _As MK treaded back on the path, he tripped and fell over to the side of the dangerous cliff. Frisk, with all his strength, ran towards MK, saving him. Undyne was suspicious of the human's kind gesture towards the little monster, but the monster child stood bravely in front of Undyne. "Yo, if you wanna hurt my friend...you gotta go through me first." Frisk thanked MK for his stand-in bravery and hugged him. "Yo, you really saved my skin," said MK, and Frisk could only say "Hey, this is what friends are for."_  
 _Frisk went back towards the flower field he crossed earlier, and he could spot Flowey next to one of those Echo Flowers. Frisk ran to catch the pesky flower, but it disappeared the moment he spotted Flowey. The human child touched the petals of the flower, only to hear Toriel's soft voice rang from it, a slight heartache tearing his heart. "_ _ _Where oh where could that child be...? I've been looking all over for them..._ " only for it to change to Flowey's voice, " _Hee hee hee. THAT'S not true. She'll find another kid, and instantly forget about you. You'll NEVER see her again._ " to which Frisk's face changed to an expression of anger. "That, is not true," the human child thought, as he walked towards whatever was expecting him, and he reached a hill-like tunnel. Atop of the hill, Undyne was full-fledged angry at the human. "Seven. Seven human souls and King Asgore will become a god...Six. That's how many we've collected thus far. Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed." Frisk could only stare at her and wait until she would attack him at any second. "YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans are cool...with their giant robots and flowery swordsmen." Frisk recalled the DVD for an anime lying in the Garbage Dump, and he figured that much, their perception of humanity wasn't quite accurate. "But you? You're just a COWARD! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!" The human child wanted to say he didn't intend on running, as if he's no coward. He showed MERCY to everyone, and he was about to show MERCY to Undyne, even if he had to die to achieve it. "Now, for everyone's hopes, everyone's dreams...I, UNDYNE, will knock you down!"_

Frisk's only thoughts were "I'm about to be done for. But I will show MERCY, every second. And if I can run, I will run as fast as I can...before this, I shall SAVE.", and as he was leaving out that thought, he touched the yellow star of a SAVE, and pressed forward to face Undyne. "I'm ready."

The battle was going to be rough for Frisk, of that much he was sure. But this time, he could shield himself, as Undyne was teaching him how to take danger head-on, convinced the human won't last a second against her. Several spears were launched towards Frisk, and he managed to block them all off, with ease. "She's really not into the battle, as of yet. But I am sure this thing won't last long, " his mind was racing as he was defending himself bravely against the spears that were coming towards him. "For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending..."

\- I want to help you reach that happy ending, _Frisk said towards her, keeping up his MERCY, while defending himself with the shield.  
_ \- I won't let you snatch it away from us! _Undyne bellowed, as she kept summoning spears.  
_ \- I don't want to snatch anything, _Frisk kept saying, his voice full of courage.  
\- ENOUGH WARMING UP, she said as she launched an array of spears towards Frisk.  
\- I'm going to leave now, he said as he managed to run away from Undyne.  
\- GET BACK HERE YOU PUNK! Undyne yelled as she was running to catch him.  
\- Wow, you're really determined to do what's right, Frisk complimented her.  
\- No human has ever made it past Asgore! Undyne raged.  
\- I don't intend to hurt anyone, Frisk kept his MERCY up, along with his shield.  
\- Killing you, is right now, an act of mercy! Undyne kept threatening Frisk.  
\- That is an act of murder. I won't give up my MERCY, Frisk smiled.  
\- STOP being so damn RESILIENT, Undyne kept hurling spears at the human child.  
\- If by resilient you mean, fast enough to escape...Frisk snickered as he ran away from her a second time.  
\- GET BACK YOU PRICK I'M NOT DONE! Undyne bellowed as she ran to catch him, in front of Hotland's entrance.  
\- You ain't gonna give up on taking my SOUL, right? I'm not gonna give up on MERCYing you, Frisk's grin was widening.  
\- YOU HAVE ESCAPED ME FOR THE LAST TIME, Undyne's eyes were flickering with rage.  
\- Excuse me, I'm hurt...Frisk said as he winced from Undyne's attacks on old wounds, managing to run away for the third time._

 _As he was running for his life, Papyrus was calling. "Really? When I'm running for my life?" Frisk thought as he left out a snicker form on his face, but he answered it nonetheless. "HEY. WHAT'S UP?! I WAS JUST THINKING, YOU, ME AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANGOUT SOMETIME. LET'S MEET AT HER HOUSE LATER!" Frisk ended the call and darted for some way to escape, but just as he was escaping, Undyne collapsed, due to the heat of her armor. "Armor...so hot...I...can't give up..." The human child, merciful as ever, got a glass of water for Undyne, and she recovered quickly. Still confused of the human's kind gesture, she ran away.  
_


	15. (PR) Chapter V: A Lizard's Darkest Fears

**Hello, my fellow readers! I'm back with another chapter of this amazing tale!  
A small note: whatever is written** *LIKE THIS* **is Mettaton's dialogue.  
Enjoy, lovelies! :D  
**

* * *

 _After Undyne ran away, Frisk remembered the offer Papyrus told him on the phone - albeit the human was running for his life - and the child returned to the place where he visited the ghost's house. A bit confused, Frisk rang Papyrus, who was more than happy to tell the child that "UNDYNE'S HOUSE IS TO THE LEFT. ALL THE OTHER DIRECTIONS ARE WRONG. TO THE NORTH IS A GHOST'S HOUSE, TO THE EAST IS A TURTLE'S HOUSE.", to which Frisk laughed heartily, thanking the skeleton for his sense of direction. As the child reached Undyne's house - which resembled a fish, and it wasn't really surprising - he could see Papyrus waiting outside, and he hugged the skeleton, who leveled himself to return the embrace, at the same whispering him a small secret. "BE SURE TO GIVE HER THIS," Papyrus was saying as he showed to Frisk a bone-shaped present, "SHE LIKES THOSE.", to which the child nodded strongly. "NOW, LET ME RING THE BELL AND YOU STAY BEHIND ME, OKAY?" the tall skeleton said with a genuine smile forming on his face.  
A short sound of a bell rang and Undyne opened her door, greeting Papyrus with a smile "Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training session?", to which the tall skeleton said, "YES, BUT THIS TIME I BROUGHT A FRIEND WITH ME.", and he moved aside to reveal Frisk, and to Undyne's shock, she realised it was the human who saved her, even if she had to capture him - her expression went from the genuine smile she showed Papyrus to a small grit of rage, but, as a good amphitrion, she invited them both in. "Why. don't. you two. come in?" and the skeleton dashed in, Frisk following suit, slowly._

\- UNDYNE, MY FRIEND HERE BROUGHT A PRESENT FOR YOU, ON THEIR OWN, _Papyrus smiled as he showed the bone-shaped present._  
\- Thanks, I'll put them with the others, _Undyne said as she tossed the bone in a drawer, along with a lot of presents of the same caliber.  
_ \- I'M GLAD YOU TOOK THEIR PRESENT, _Papyrus smiled towards the young fish monster._  
\- So, are you ready for your lesson, Papyrus? _Undyne asked, in a serious manner._  
\- WHOOPSY DOOPSY, I FORGOT I HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM! _the skeleton said as he jumped out on a window._

 _The atmosphere in the room was now seriously tensed, as she seemed to dislike Frisk's presence, but the human was more than willing to make friends with her. "So, are you here to rub your victory into my face?" Undyne asked, almost upset she was defeated and that she didn't manage to fulfill the king's wishes, and seeing the human was still silent, she yelled. "WELL, ARE YOU?!", to which Frisk replied calmly, "Undyne, no. I'm here to make amends."_

\- WHY WOULD YOU MAKE AMENDS WITH ME?! You're the one standing in our way! YOU'RE OUR ENEMY! _she yelled, as if her anger from earlier didn't cease at all._  
\- WOW, WHAT A SHAME, _began Papyrus as he watched the two._ I REALLY THOUGHT UNDYNE WILL WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU.  
\- I thought so myself, _said Frisk to Papyrus, visibly disappointed._  
\- I GUESS SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE, _Papyrus snickered._  
\- CHALLENGE?! _Undyne roared as Papyrus left the window again._ Papyrus thinks I can't be friends with a wimp like you? Fuhuhu! _Undyne's expression shifted from anger to a forced smile._  
\- I don't know what Papyrus thinks of you, but he regards you quite highly, _Frisk told her._  
\- Listen up, human. We'll be not just friends...we'll be besties! _she began telling Frisk, as she smiled at the thought._ It's the perfect REVENGE.  
\- I agree, you'd be a really cool friend, _Frisk smiled back to her._  
\- So, why don't you sit down and enjoy, _Undyne showed Frisk the small table at the right, and a stool._ What do you want to drink?

 _Just as Frisk wanted to serve himself from the lots of drinks Undyne placed - a can of soda, packets of golden flower tea, water - she summoned a spear, cracking the table in two, startling the human for a second, as he was watching the cracked table in horror. "I'm sorry," Undyne excused herself, sweat dripping on her forehead. "But you're the guest, and you should sit down. Point with the spear at what you want to drink, okay?" As Frisk had the control over Undyne's spear, he pointed towards the packets of golden flower tea. "...tea, huh? right on." Undyne prepared the tea with some care, as if it reminded her of someone she knew - and as she placed the burning cup next to Frisk, she warned the human it's quite hot, and that they should be careful. Frisk took a sip, and he really, really liked the tea - its' taste was so good and soothing for his already dried throat. Undyne was watching the human as he sipped, and prompted her to say "you know...it's curious you chose THAT tea. Golden flower tea...that's Asgore's favorite kind. You kinda remind me of him." Frisk could only smile at the comparison with the king - if he was as peaceful as everyone said, it wouldn't be difficult for the child to convince him towards a better ending for everyone - but Undyne's recollections were far from over. "I used to be a pretty hotheaded kid...and I even tried to beat Asgore. Emphasis on TRIED. And after a while, seeing me struggle, he said something goofy like...'Excuse me, but you want to know how to beat me?' And since then he trained me. But one day...when I managed to knock him down on one of our training sessions... I felt bad. But he was beaming - I never saw someone so proud on getting their butt kicked." The human child thanked Undyne for the tea, and he could only say "Asgore is really a kind monster. Everyone says this about him...but honestly...", at that 'honestly', Frisk's face began falling in a frown, and he could only say to her "I don't really want to fight him."  
Undyne remembered she had to cook with Papyrus, and told Frisk that nothing brought Papyrus and her close than cooking, so the human was more than pleased to cook alongside her, petting the vegetables - because that's how he treated any monster he encountered, with MERCY - and stirring up the pasta, but the fiery passion Undyne had for cooking managed to burn literally the entire house down, because she thought the bigger the flame, the better is food. Seeing her house in shambles and thinking Frisk must've hated her for her bad skills at friendship, she wanted to spar with him as a challenge for her "lost pride," as she put it. But Frisk pulled out a fake attack on her with his stick, pretending he was swinging with all his might. He really hated fighting, and this was the best solution he could think of so her pride would not be lost - and she noted this as well, after the human's really pitiful strike with the stick. "even attacking at full force, you just can't muster any intent to hurt me," and Frisk was just beaming at that phrase._

\- Listen, human. It seems like you and Asgore are fated to fight. But...knowing the big guy, he probably won't. Talk to him.  
\- That's exactly what I intend to do, _Frisk said, his smile growing._  
\- If a mean human falls down here...I will take THEIR soul instead. But...if you hurt Asgore, I will take the six souls myself and cross the barrier to kick your ass!  
\- Yeah, I know you would do so, if that would be happening. But I swear to heavens above, I hate fighting, _Frisk continued.  
_ \- Let's get out of here, _Undyne said._

 _After they left the burning house, Undyne told Frisk that she would be hanging out with Papyrus, and if he needed her help, he could call Papyrus to reach her._

* * *

 _Now that the "Undyne affair" was settled, the human child had to go forward, past Undyne's Arena, reaching a new territory called "Hotland." As he went all the way towards the water cooler he found, he saw a pair of black armored guards, a yellow star of a SAVE point, and in front of him, a white square-like building that had a sign. "LAB." He called Undyne and told him "That's Alphys's lab. Tell her hi from me, okay?" to which Frisk assured her he'll do just that. Entering past the automatic door, darkness surrounded him, and his only source of light was his SOUL. He could note a huge console, that seemed to record his position - the light emitting from the screen was quite dim, and it was only lighting that part of the lab - and in the darkness, Frisk could feel some objects, but it was really too dark to discern what those were. Advancing in blind ways, he could hear some footsteps coming from ...ahead? and a shy voice, that said "Light."  
In that instant, the whole lab was well illuminated, and in front of Frisk, stood a lizard-like scientist, dressed in a white lab coat, wearing glasses. Her expression changed from a small smile to a gasp of shock, aware of the intruder in her way. "Oh my God. I-I definitely d-did not e-expect you s-so soon! I-I'm b-barely dressed, I-I haven't showered..." and Frisk was only smiling, telling the lizard she shouldn't worry about everything. As he finished saying that, he extended his left hand, waiting for a shake, and the lizard shook his hand, even though she was a tad sweaty and obviously nervous. "H-Hi. I-I'm Dr. Alphys, Asgore's r-royal s-scientist." she could only utter, as she was shaking in her coat._

\- Hello. My name is Frisk and I'm a human, _the child responded._  
\- Heh...I-I looked at you, t-through the cameras...I-I think you might have seen o-one or t-two, _Alphys said._  
\- Oh, I remember those cameras from Snowdin, _Frisk said._ Don't fret. It's alright, _he smiled._  
\- I w-want to t-tell you a-about something. Because of m-my role as R-Royal S-Scientist, I bulit a r-robot n-named Mettaton.  
\- What's to worry about him? _Frisk asked._ I think I could make him my friend as well.  
\- E-err...you s-see...I g-gave him s-some anti...anti-human capabilities. B-but I originally d-designed h-him as a r-robotic TV s-star, and d-due to these f-features, he's a r-robot w-with an i-insatiable thirst f-for h-human blood, _Alphys' eyes were shifting and sad as she told Frisk all this._  
\- I assume you don't want him like this anymore, _the child pondered as he noticed her expression._  
\- Y-yes...y-you know, s-seeing someone on a s-screen m-makes you root for them, she smiled, weakly. I-I saw y-your fights, y-your friendships! Y-you're so m-merciful, _she said as her smile was still there, but something in her voice betrayed her fears._  
\- First...I hate fighting, and second...I know. I love monsters, with all my heart, _Frisk said, gently pulling Alphys in a hug and smiling to her._

 _The shy lizard monster pulled from it, visibly disturbed by the notion of hugs, and Frisk apologised if he crossed her personal boundaries. Alphys, surprised by the kindness of this human, just showed a weak smile. "I a-appreciate that. I-I'm p-planning t-to d-deactivate those f-features from M-Mettaton. I-I'm h-hoping r-right now w-we won't meet him a-at all." but her fears were soon proven wrong, as some clanking of metal was heard from a distant wall. "oh no." and Mettaton burst into the hallway of Alphys's Lab, noticing the human's presence._

\- *OOH YES! WELCOME BEAUTIES...TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW! LET US GIVE A BIG HANDS OUT TO OUR NEW CONTESTANT!*  
\- I've never participated in a quiz show, so I don't know what it entails, _Frisk said, a genuine smile on his face.  
\- *_OH, YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS? NO WORRIES. THERE'S JUST ONE RULE: ANSWER CORRECTLY...OR YOU DIE!* Mettaton's robotic voice left out an evil laughter.

 _"Well, scrub that, he's just as unfriendly as Mad Dummy. Welp, but let's keep on the MERCY", it was Frisk's only thought during the show, as his SOUL was hovering next to his chest, and his arms were down. Alphys, scared for the little human's life, decided to help him out at her best._

\- *OKAY, HUMAN! WHAT'S THE PRIZE FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION?*  
\- More questions? _Frisk snickered._  
\- *GOOD, SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT IT,* _Mettaton said._  
\- Okay, bring up the next question, _Frisk urged the robot._  
\- *WHAT'S THE KING'S NAME?* _Mettaton asked._  
\- King Asgore Dreemurr, _Frisk said, with a smile._  
\- *WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER! OKAY, NEXT QUESTION, HUMAN,* _the robot said._  
\- *WHAT DO YOU THINK ROBOTS ARE MADE OF?*  
\- Metal and magic, _Frisk said._  
\- *SOUNDS LIKE THAT WAS TOO EASY FOR YOU,* _Mettaton said, in an ironic robotic voice._  
\- *HERE'S A MATH PROBLEM FOR YOU,* the robot began saying, *Two trains, Train A, and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A, and Station B are 252.5 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7mph towards Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5mph towards Station A. If both trains departed at 10:00 AM and it is now 10:08, how much longer until both trains pass each other?*  
\- Approximatively 32 minutes and 58 seconds, _Frisk said, looking at Alphys._  
\- *I'M ASTOUNDED, FOLKS!* _Mettaton said towards his telespectators._ *BUT DON'T COUNT ON YOUR VICTORY, HUMAN!*  
\- Next question, Mettaton, please! _Frisk cheered._  
\- *HOW MANY FLIES ARE IN THIS JAR, HMM?*  
\- 54, _Frisk quickly answered, after looking at Alphys, who was helping from the sidelines as usual._  
\- *CORRECT, YOU'RE REALLY LUCKY TODAY,* _Mettaton said with a robotic grunt._  
\- *LET'S PLAY MEMORY GAME - WHAT MONSTER IS THIS?* the robot said.  
\- It's you, wearing a Froggit shirt, Frisk snickered.  
\- *WOW, I'M SO GLAD YOU REMEMBERED,* _the robot coughed._  
\- Yeah, next question, Mettaton, please, _the child urged him._  
\- *WOULD YOU SMOOCH A GHOST?*  
\- Heck...yeah? Frisk said, _visibly embarassed by that._  
\- *GREAT ANSWER!*, _the robot yelled._  
\- Okay...what's next, the child asked, _visibly tired of all those quiz questions._  
\- *HOW MANY LETTERS ARE THERE IN THE NAME 'METTATON'?*  
\- Eight, _you silly robot, Frisk laughed._  
\- *PFFT, THAT WAS EASY FOR YOU,* the robot said. *BUT, TIME TO BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS!*  
\- Yup, I'm curious too, _the child smiled briefly._  
\- *IN THE DATING SIMULATION VIDEO GAME "MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE", WHAT IS MEW MEW'S FAVORITE FOOD?*  
\- Truth be told, I-, _Frisk began saying, only to be cut off by Alphys's rather long response..._  
\- OH! OH! I KNOW THIS ONE! IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM! IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER EVERYONE GOES TO THE BEACH! AND SHE BUYS ICE CREAM FOR ALL OF HER FRIENDS! BUT IT'S SNAIL FLAVOR AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS IT! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE GAME BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY POWERFUL message about friendship and..., _Alphys said, true excitement ringing in her voice.  
_

 _Frisk was a bit shocked, but also realised that Alphys must've enjoyed that game so much she knew the thing by heart, and he was really grateful for her knowledge and help, but Mettaton was having none of it, and he was upset on Alphys helping out the human. "*I'LL ASK A QUESTION YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!*", and as he recited, in his robotic voice, the most awkward question in history for Dr. Alphys - because Frisk saw how embarassed she was - "Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?", the human child recalled the bond that seemingly existed between Alphys and Undyne, because Undyne herself referred to the lizard scientist on more than one occasion. He was also noting the slight daze in Undyne's expression whenever she talked about Alphys, so the answer was surely Undyne - but just as Frisk said that, Alphys's face turned red and she was covering herself in full, true shame. "Both must have some feelings towards one another", Frisk's mind was racing, and Mettaton seemed proud to offer an explanation, "*SEE, ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS. EVEN THE HUMAN FIGURED IT OUT. YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER... SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE. PROBABILITY OF CRUSH: 101 PERCENT. MARGIN OF ERROR: ONE PERCENT.*" Mettaton then left the two, human and lizard, alone. Alphys, still feeling like utter trash after this public humiliation on TV, she couldn't bring herself to look back at the human, who was now smiling gently towards her. "He..he w-wasn't s-supposed t-to ask that.", but Frisk's sole response was to hug her gently again. But just as they were sitting through a rather embarassing embrace - for Alphys anyway - in that moment, Geno Alphys came out of nowhere, startling the two._

\- Hey, who are you? _Frisk asked the shadowy figure that approached them.  
\- _Hello, Pacifist Frisk, and you, Pacifist Alphys! _Geno Alphys said as she stared at her Pacifist version.  
_ \- H-hello...me? _Alphys was staring in confusion at the figure, who seemed to look just like her, only...with some blood on her, and with a sterner expression on her face.  
\- _Pacifist Frisk, I assume that Sans hasn't informed you of me. I'm Genocide Alphys, and I'm the one that helped out the skeleton to reach you.  
\- How did you reach this timeline? _Frisk asked, in confusion._  
\- I am the only Genocide Route monster to have an existence in this timeline, except for Sans and Asgore. They do not have Genocide versions of themselves, and I would be able to explain my presence by accessing your SOUL for a moment, if you allow me, _Geno Alphys made her way past her Pacifist self towards Frisk._  
\- Very well, _Frisk accepted, as he left his SOUL hovering in front of his chest._

 _The memories of Geno Alphys began playing through Frisk's SOUL, and he saw the motions in plan for the survival of Frisk's real timeline - to prevent the Genocide Route from ever happening again - the surviving monsters of the Genocide Route conceived an idea to warn Frisk of the demon's danger, and that he would be the only one able to stop it. Geno Alphys was somehow teleported to this timeline, by Sans' grateful help, and managed to reach the lab in due time, to advise Pacifist Alphys about ways to help the timeline stay clean of the demon's future influences. Pacifist Alphys stared in shock at everything that was unfolding before her, and she was eager to understand more about her Geno self's existence, of what happens when a child becomes possessed and destroys everything - but she also saw her worst fears coming true - she was afraid to lose Undyne, because she caught a glimpse of the dying moment of Geno Undyne, and she began breaking in tears. Frisk urged Geno Alphys to stop, as he didn't want to see Pacifist Alphys breaking down before him, and he ran again to hug her tightly. "Dr. Alphys...I know you're not a big fan of hugs, but, please, please...don't cry...what you saw are your Genocide self's memories...she witnessed losing her loved one, and I can really assume in this timeline, this love is the same. Please. I promise, your fears will not become real! I haven't fought a single time, and Undyne is well and alive here. Trust me, I will do my best to stop the demon from coming back!" Even though Frisk's soothing voice tried to instill some sense of reality into Pacifist Alphys, the latter couldn't stop sobbing, no matter the pleas coming from the human. Genocide Alphys gently pushed the human, asking him to leave her and her Pacifist self alone for a moment. Frisk stood there, a bit confused seeing a being's two sides together, but agreed nonetheless. Geno Alphys embraced her Pacifist self, telling her some words that immediately dissipated that state of sobbing and fear. "Undyne loves you, loves you more than anything in this world. You won't have to fear you'll be alone anymore." Pacifist Alphys looked at her Geno self with a sense of hope mixed with despair, as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. "L-let m-me do what I-I h-have to do.", and as she turned towards Frisk, she thanked the human child for her support, while giving him her friendship - upgrading his phone, signing him for Undernet, among other things - and making sure he would reach Asgore's castle safely. "G-Geno A-Alphys? W-Will you stay m-more with me?..." Pacifist Alphys asked, and her Geno self agreed, with a smile. "F-Frisk, is it? W-well. I will g-guide you t-towards A-Asgore's castle." Just as Frisk was leaving the now two Alphyses' lab, Pacifist Alphys was guiding the child on every corridor of Hotland - from the multiple conveyor belt rooms, various puzzle rooms that were reactivated, steam vents, and a lot of elevators, even Mettaton's deadly cooking show, where Frisk was about to be cooked! - there was one instance in which she couldn't help, and that was when two Royal Guards were approaching to apprehend the human._

\- We were tipped off that a human is walking through Hotland right now. Sounds scary, right? Don't worry...we'll get you somewhere safely, _one of the Guards told him._  
\- Sure, th-thanks, _said Frisk, embarassed and a bit afraid of the two massive Royal Guards.  
_ \- What is it bro, _the first Guard asked.  
_ \- Their shirt is striped, like the one we were told the human is wearing, _said the second Guard.  
\- And what about it? the first Guard inquired.  
_\- I think we have got the human in front of our eyes, _the second Guard said.  
_ \- So...bro, you're thinking what I'm thinking? _the first Guard asked.  
_ \- Yes, brother, _the second Guard said.  
\- _Well, uhm, this is like mega-embarassing, _the first Guard said._ We kinda have, to destroy you, _he said as he sheathed out a large sword._

 _"I think I can get out of this situation easily. They seem to get along with one another, so...maybe I could make them have a stronger bond of friendship?" Frisk was thinking, as the battle with the two Guards began. He was trying to avoid at all costs to get hurt in places he was already wounded...but the fierce dual attacks of the two Guards were kinda hard to avoid, and Frisk's HP was critical a few times. "Darn it, how do I convince those two...oh. Look at the second Guard's armor... hm...I wonder." As he cleaned thoroughly the dirt on the second Guard's armor, the Guard complained of heat, and he just threw his chest armor away. The first Guard was really bothered by the sight of his 'brother', and then Frisk used that hesitation to urge the first Guard to be honest with his feelings._

\- I can't take this anymore! ...02! I like...LIKE you, bro... The way you fight, the way you talk...I like when we do team attacks...I just wanna stay like this forever...

 _The second Royal Guard was shocked hearing all those words from the first one, and stood there in utter silence, before the first one went on saying "whew, what was I thinking, that human must've put me under some mind control or something. what was I even saying?!" only for RG 02 to say "01...do you want to get some ice cream after this?" and Frisk was happy he managed to strengthen their bond. But just as he was walking towards the next destination, he received a status update from Alphys "oopswait how's the human doing", and he couldn't help a small chuckle - she was really nice to worry about him. Frisk entered a darkened room, and asked Alphys to make some light in front of him. "Don't worry, I got this!", but just as she made light, she made a flabbergasted expression and showed concern in her voice, "Are you serious?" as Mettaton was having now a news show, provoking Frisk to "report something newsworthy," but just as he did so, Mettaton revealed the entire room was...full of bombs._

-*EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB!*

 _"No heck, I figured this much," Frisk thought as Mettaton kept on blabbing about the bombs. "*IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL THE BOMBS, THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES!*", and the human child thought on how horrid this whole thing was, but Pacifist Alphys had the solution, as always "D-don't worry, you can defuse those bombs with the Bomb Defusing program I installed on your phone. Just use the ACT button and defuse the bombs!" That only meant Frisk had to pull a runner-up to catch all those bombs and defuse them in time - but with Alphys' help, he managed to defuse them all, prompting Mettaton to say *WELL DONE, DARLING! YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE ALL OF THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD'VE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES. NOW IT WILL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS.* the robot finished saying as he left out an evil robotic laugh, but the bomb didn't go off._

\- *AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF.* the evil robot remarked.  
\- That's b-because! While you were m-monologuing...I f-fix, uhm...c-change... _Pacifist Alphys stuttered._  
\- *YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS.*  
\- Y-Yeah, that's what I did! _Pacifist Alphys said, timidly._  
\- *CURSES, IT SEEMS I HAVE BEEN FOILED AGAIN!* _the robot's voice changed to an angrier resonance._

In the meantime, Geno Alphys planned on talking something with her Pacifist self, like helping her understand the whole reason why she was here. "Look. I'm here for a reason. In my timeline, Undyne is...as you saw. Nothing more than dust. But in here...you have a chance at making things right. And help Frisk along the way, because he needs your guidance, even if we both know at first, it was just a silly plan to catch his attention." Pacifist Alphys rang the human as soon as her Geno counterpart told her that.

\- H-hey...I..n-noticed you've been...k-kind of..quiet, Pacifist Alphys began, at her end.  
\- It's alright, Frisk said. I'm just..nervous, I think, the child's voice betraying concern.  
\- Are you w-worried about meeting Asgore...? Pacifist Alphys asked, almost musing in the human's thoughts.  
\- Yes. Undyne told me he plans to be a godlike monster. All the more reason I feel...strange about this whole meeting, the child said.  
\- D-don't worry...t-the k-king is r-really a nice g-guy. I'm sure you c-can talk to him, and...with your human soul, y-you can cross the barrier. D-don't fret, okay? the pacifist lizard said.

Frisk managed to reach out another elevator, and passed through a corridor where a Spider Bakesale was on. The prices were really high, and he didn't have any money, but luckily, he saved a Spider Donut - he didn't know why he did it though - but he really appreciated the spider's hard work as they were producing their pastries. Pacifist Alphys rang again to tell them about some puzzles laying ahead. "Y-you h-have to solve the puzzles to the n-north and s-south. If you n-need m-my help, you can c-call me, or wait! Let's be f-friends on UnderNet! That way you can p-ping me when you need help!", but just as she finished saying that, Frisk began, a soft smile forming on his lips:

\- I remember, when you upgraded my phone, _you signed me up on UnderNet.  
_ \- S-so, y-you r-read m-my posts the whole time? _Pacifist Alphys said, her voice cracking totally.  
_ \- Yes, I did, and I think Mew Mew 2 must be...erm, trash, if you think it is so, _Frisk said, trying to encourage the nerdy lizard._

 _Geno Alphys, in the meantime, was slowly encouraging her Pacifist self to keep up talking with the human, and told her more about the reasons Genocide Alphys was here. "So...like I was saying, even if we were planning at first to catch the human's attention by self-inserting into the story, in my timeline, Frisk was possessed by an entity we all know - well, me, Sans and King Asgore - as Chara Dreemurr, the king's human daughter." Pacifist Alphys clicked on the phone and could only stare in shock. She rarely heard King Asgore say anything about his children - other than the facts he was missing them and his wife -, and now, to find out one of his children was responsible for the mayhem monsterkind was going through in another timeline, made her want to sink in her chair. "A-and now? F-Frisk is himself?", Pacifist Alphys asked, only to be calmed down by the swift response of her Geno counterpart. "Yes, he is himself, but I can see he is fighting, at times, with the entity. Chara's not willing to give up on trying to corrupt this Frisk's SOUL as well. And dare I say Frisk will be the only one able to stand against this beast - well, that unless we rally everyone behind him..." Geno Alphys' glasses were shining at that last statement, but her Pacifist counterpart didn't want anyone to die. "I-If a-anything, i-it would be b-best if they were supporting h-him?"_

* * *

 _While the two lizard scientists, Pacifist and Genocidal alike, were discussing the fate of this timeline and how they could really destroy Chara's future influence, Frisk was walking down the Spider Parlor, a hallway mostly covered in cobwebs, with a lot of purple spiders roaming here and there. In the darkness, soft whispers and giggles were heard, and Frisk was getting a little afraid. "Ahuhuhuhu...I have heard that a human wearing a striped shirt will come this way..." and with each step, the whispers were getting louder. "I heard that they dislike spiders...they like to tear their legs apart.", but Frisk kept going, despite the fact he was getting covered in cobwebs and struggling to move forward, until the human child was eventually stuck. "I also heard," the monster whispering in the darkness said as they revealed themselves, "that they're awfully stingy with their money."  
The monster, obviously a she-spider, was quite frustrated that the human didn't bother to buy anything from the Bakesale she kept just a corridor back there. "You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, dearie?~ Ahuhuhu...", but Frisk shook his head firmly as his SOUL was emitting the familiar white light. "Your taste is exactly what this next batch needs!" the she-spider began saying as she kept enveloping the human in a stronger web. After a bit of struggle, Frisk managed to reach the Spider Donut he was holding onto, prompting the monster spider to ACT._

\- Where did you get that? We're not happy with thieves-

 _But just as Frisk wanted to explain himself, a small spider kept a telegram from the spiders the human visited in the Ruins. "Oh, they said you were really passionate about spiders...means the one who asked us to kill a human in a striped shirt must've referred to someone else! We're deeply sorry for this misunderstanding~, " she said as she giggled, offering Frisk MERCY, which the human child accepted, but what she said made him think..."I remember what Flowey did to me, so he must be the one behind all this. He is no different than Chara, but I somehow feel there's more to him than his flowery appearance." As he crossed the Spider Parlor, Mettaton was ready to ensnare the human in another of his devious traps - he planned a performance with the human, a musical - from which Frisk could deduce as much that the robot wanted to exterminate him somehow, even if the robot's passion for show was greater than killing humans. At the end of the so-called musical, pressing a button, Mettaton made Frisk drop to a dungeon - which literally consisted in a tile-colored puzzle. "*YOU HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO CLEAR THIS MAZE...OR YOU'LL DIE BURNING IN FLAMES!*" the robot began saying as Frisk was striving to solve the puzzle - even if he remembered the rules, the little time he had wasn't enough - and the jets of flame were dashing towards him as Mettaton was laughing maniacally in his robotic voice._  
 _From Frisk's pockets, a loud ringing could be heard, and he quickly picked up his phone, as if knowing Pacifist Alphys must've been at the other end. "Watch out, I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!" and Frisk saw the flames around him disappearing, making the human child leave out an audible sigh of relief._

\- *OH NO. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?! FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS!* _  
-_ That's right, _Pacifist Alphys said as clear as she could through Frisk's phone._ Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us, not as long as we work together! _  
_\- Dr. Alphys is right, Mettaton, _Frisk could manage to say.  
_ \- Your puzzle is over, now go home and leave us alone! _Pacifist Alphys roared through Frisk's phone.  
_ \- *PUZZLE? OVER?* _Mettaton chuckled in his robotic voice._ *DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO? THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. THAT MONSTER, DEAR, IS ME!* _the robot said as he lunged towards the human child, making the latter frown and leave his SOUL hovering in front._

 _Alphys was not ready to give up on saving the human, and as the fight started, she encouraged Frisk, telling him that he has another special feature on the phone that he can use, and as the child followed Pacifist Alphys' careful instruction, his SOUL turned yellow, and he was able to fight back with electricity. He zapped Mettaton a few times, and the latter just walked away, almost seemingly amazed by the child's power. "Y-you did a r-really good job out there.", she cheered, but Frisk was grateful for Alphys' timely help all the way. "Thanks to you, Pacifist Alphys. Without you, I wouldn't be this close to finish my mission." the human child retorted, a soft, graceful smile forming on his face._

\- C-can I tell you s-something?  
\- Sure, go ahead, _Frisk encouraged._  
\- B-before I m-met you...I...I d-didn't really like myself, _Pacifist Alphys said, with support from her Geno counterpart, at times._  
\- You don't have to feel guilty, I can understand the reason you all act like that towards me, _Frisk said, sadness enveloping his voice._ But still, I like you all and I would definitely stay with you all the way, _he continued as he left out a soft sigh._  
\- F-for a long time...I f-felt like a total screw-up.  
\- Dr. Alphys...you took great sacrifices to help me out. I can totally say you're not a screw-up, _Frisk tried to encourage the nerdy lizard._  
\- I f-felt like I couldn't do anything...w-without ending up letting everyone d-down.  
\- Please, don't be so harsh with yourself. You haven't let me down once, and I am sure you wouldn't do it anytime soon, _he continued, a soft timbre in his voice._  
\- Y-you know...guiding you has made me f-feel...a lot better about myself, _Pacifist Alphys said, still sad._  
\- You're really cool, Alphys, _Frisk said, like somehow he addressed this towards the both sides of the scientist._  
\- A-anyway...we're close to the CORE. I-it's just past MTT Resort, _Pacifist Alphys said, as she clicked the phone._

 _Geno Alphys was smiling proudly at her Pacifist self. "One more hoop, and you're going to have a better life, dear. Just...remember to do the right thing. You've got past a few of your fears so far...and I'm impressed. Stay like that, and know that you gotta confess to Undyne some day." Geno Alphys said as she left out a small wink of content, leaving out the Pacifist Lab and returning to her timeline. "My task here is done. She knows that Chara is behind everything that happens in the Genocide Route. But I'm still curious how Frisk will decide to deal with Flowey...I don't have a good feeling about that flower, because it's the vessel of my Determination experiments, in any timeline I'd be. Sans had promised me I'd be able to monitor this timeline somehow." she said as she used a small portal that Sans left open just for her._


	16. (PR) Chapter VI: Gaining Only Love

**_Hello there, lovelies!  
This is a new chapter for you! Enjoy :D_**

* * *

 _Geno Alphys had returned to the Castle in her still existent piece of timeline, but this time she was alone. Sans and Asgore were already taking their rightful places in the real timeline with Frisk. Sans left out a few orbs of his magic, allowing Geno Alphys to look at Frisk's progress, "Sweet, now I can truly see if our plan is going to succeed. It all depends on Frisk's MERCY, but we all know Chara's really not going to give up on tainting this timeline as well. And I'm still troubled by that flower..." Geno Alphys was thinking as she sat there, in the Chamber of the Round Table, watching events unveil before her. "Frisk is heading towards the CORE, as of right now. I hope my Pacifist self will be able to guide him right...But he has to cross MTT Resort first."_

* * *

 _In the Pacifist Timeline, Frisk reached MTT Resort, where Sans was waiting for him. It was a luxurious hotel, and the human thought correctly that this property must've belonged to Mettaton. But he had no time to dawdle, so he talked to Sans, the only familiar face around:_

 _-_ Hey Sans _, Frisk greeted the small skeleton.  
_ \- hey. i heard you're heading towards the core, but what do you say if you come at a dinner with me? _  
_\- Sure, Sans, I'd love to come! _the human child said, a smile on his face.  
_ \- ok, over here. i know a shortcut.

 _The room they were in was rather large, and had a lot of tables...Frisk saw the look on Sans' face, and thought there was something troubling him._

\- well, here we are, _Sans began.  
_ \- It's really nice and cozy in here, _commented Frisk.  
_ \- so. your journey is almost over, huh? _  
_\- It would seem so, _Frisk's face formed a frown.  
_ \- you must really wanna go home, _Sans said, a frown forming on his face as well.  
_ \- I'm not so sure anymore, Sans, _the small child fiddled with his hands.  
-_ hey, i know the feeling, buddo, _the skeleton said, waving his left hand casually._ though...maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you. _  
_\- Yeah, well...it surely depends, _Frisk's face was now completely blank, remembering his past.  
_ \- down here you already got food, drink, friends... _  
_\- I know, Sans, _Frisk said, his voice getting smaller and smaller, sadder and sadder hearing the skeleton's concerns.  
_ \- is what you have to do...really necessary? _  
_\- We both know I don't want this, _the child began saying._ I promised myself one thing, that I will save this timeline, no matter what. And that I will bring you all with me. _  
_\- ah...forget it. i'm rootin' for ya, kid, _the skeleton winked at the child.  
_ \- The feeling is mutual, _Frisk smiled softly._ I really care about you all, _he continued, placing his left hand on the table.  
_ \- hey...let me tell you a story, _Sans said, fond of this memory, as Frisk saw on his face a soft grin.  
_ \- I'm all ears, Sans, _Frisk said, pulling the chair closer to the table._

 **"so, i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right? i sit out there and watch for humans. it's kinda boring. fortunately...deep in the forest, there's this HUGE locked door."**

 _Frisk recalled the huge door of the Ruins, and he left out a soft sigh, being the place he didn't want to leave at all, but he didn't want to give away the feeling of sadness that was slowly conquering him, asking the skeleton that he continues his story._

 **"as i was saying..., that door is perfect for practicing knock-knock jokes. so, one day, i'm knockin' em out, like usual. i knock on the door and say 'knock-knock', and suddenly, from the other side...i hear a woman's voice."**

 _Frisk knew who he was talking about, and he kept his face neutral, interested in the story - but at the same time, his heart was aching, longing for his mother, Toriel - and he urged Sans to go on with the story. "And what happened next?"_

 **"so. the woman said 'who's there?' and i, naturally, respond...'dishes', and she goes, 'dishes who?' and then i say 'dishes a very bad joke.' man, she then howls with laughter, like it's the best joke she heard in a hundred years. so i keep 'em coming, and she keeps laughing. she's the best audience i've ever had."**

 _"She must've felt really lonely in the Ruins, no wonder she enjoyed Sans' jokes," the child thought, but even so, his heart was still aching because he was missing her so much. "Wow, sounds like she really likes your puns, Sans. Anyway, I haven't seen anyone yet to not crack a smile at your puns," Frisk retorted to the skeleton. "Go on, I'm still curious what happened."_

 **"then, after a dozen of them...SHE knocks and says...'Knock-knock!', and then i say 'whos there?', to which she says 'old lady!' and after that i ask, 'old lady who?' and then she just drops it, 'oh, i didn't know you could yodel!' "**

 _Frisk really let out a genuine laughter after the joke, "Wow, she's really good at puns as well!" was all he could say, but then he remembered_ her joke about the shingles, _and he couldn't help feeling his heart warming up, even if it still ached. "And, what happened next," Frisk asked, in true excitement over this story._

 **"needless to say, this woman was extremely good. we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, i had to leave. papyrus gets kinda cranky without his bedtime story. but she told me to come by again, and so i did. then i did again, and again...it's a thing now, telling bad jokes through the door. one day, i noticed she wasn't laughing very much, and i asked her what was up. then she told me somethin' strange. 'if a human ever comes through this door...could you please, please promise something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?' "**

 _At that, Frisk's face, and heart broke completely. He couldn't summon any words, anything, as tears were forming in his eyes. "I...I really...really feel, feel very strange right now." was all that the child could utter, his hands shaking terribly. "She...did that? A-and...wh-what did you say?" Frisk's voice was completely small, weak, as if his heart wouldn't mend until he saw Toriel again. Sans noticed the slight hesitation in the kid's voice, but thought it was because of this strange request from her to Sans._

 **"now...i hate making promises, and this woman, i don't even know her name. but someone who sincerely likes bad jokes...has an integrity you can't say 'no' to. do you get what i'm saying? that promise i made to her...you know what would've happened if she hadn't said anything, buddy?"**

 _Sans's eyesockets hollowed, and Frisk remembered this face from Geno Frisk's memories. It scared him to the bits, but he was also curious to the denouement of this recollection._ _"if she wouldn't have said that...you'd be dead right where you stand." and Frisk took the warning seriously, recounting the battle between Geno Frisk and Sans. Even Sans saw the flash of a recollection in Frisk's eyes. "lighten up. that warning is solely if you'd ever decide to succumb to the thing that plagued the other timelines. you didn't, so far, and if you manage to fight it fully, you'll help us prevent the genocide route completely. i still have geno frisk's soul well kept. and it's good you listened to me in your dream when you did."_

\- well, that's all. take care of yourself, kid. _  
_\- I will try to, Sans. And...thanks for telling me all that, _Frisk managed to revert back to the reality of the situation.  
_ \- remember there's someone that really cares about you _, Sans said with a gentle wink and a soft smile.  
_ \- Yes, I will, _Frisk said as he saw Sans heading away from the room._

* * *

 _Frisk made out of the room, that seemingly was the restaurant of MTT Resort. He still thought of what Sans told him, and he pressed on, the CORE lying just in front of him. Just as he was about to walk on the bridge linking MTT Resort to CORE, he rang Alphys for some help. "Alphys, I saw two monsters ahead of me. I couldn't discern who they were, but you have any idea?"_

\- Y-you know, nobody else i-is supposed to b-be here...  
\- That really isn't reassuring... _Frisk retorted._ But we gotta move on.  
\- Y-yeah, w-we don't h-have time to w-worry about that now.

 _The human child entered the CORE, a huge complex that, according to someone he met at MTT's restaurant, had 'swappable parts.', and he rang Alphys again. "Ready? This is it! Take the elevator in front of you to the top to the CORE!" But, checking the elevator, Frisk noted it wasn't working, and he decided to lay his hands in Alphys' guidance._

\- The elevator you were talking about isn't working, Dr. Alphys.  
\- What? It should be w-working...oh. W-Well...go to the r-right and k-keep heading up! _Alphys said._  
\- I've taken the right path! But-  
\- Alright, keep heading up!  
\- There's a pit ahead of me. I can't go up.  
\- That pit...isn't on my map. Forget it. Head to the left!

 _As he was heading to the left, he saw the two monsters from earlier approaching. Alphys, through her console, could see the confrontation up ahead. "W-WATCH OUT!" she yelled in Frisk's ear, trembling and gasping. Frisk wasn't a coward, so he left out his SOUL hovering, the white light shining brighter, and used his MERCY, as in front of him stood Madjick, a monster he wasn't really familiar with. The wizard-like monster was busy reciting weird incantations, and his spells hurt Frisk once or twice in places where it already hurt, prompting a grunt of pain from the human. The child began thinking of pollen and sunshine, increasing somehow his DEFENSEs, but even so, the wizard wasn't going to take the child's MERCY. After some thinking, Frisk thought he could talk to the wizard, but the latter interrupted the child by talking with himself, and only then he accepted Frisk's MERCY.  
Alphys, relieved that the human was alive and well, was still concerned of the number of monsters present in the CORE. "It's not b-bad, but...u-usually there aren't this many! A-anyway, let's just keep heading forward!" she said as she clicked the phone on her end. Frisk shrugged and followed her instructions to the letter. "If you press that s-switch, the force field will deactivate. But in the s-same time, th-the lasers will come at you. They're l-like this, Orange, Orange, Blue. M-move until the third one!", and Frisk noticed the lasers were all orange, in fact - prompting him to get hurt again. "I honestly hope she's not intending to doom me, " Frisk thought, but that dissipated the moment he heard genuine concern from Alphys. "Oh m-my G-God...a-are you h-hurt? I'm s-sorry...I-...L-let's j-just head to the right."_

\- There's a crossroads. I can only go up, or to the right, _Frisk said as he rang Alphys.  
_ \- T-try heading t-to the r-right, _her answer came.  
_ \- Okay, I'm heading to the right-, _Frisk said, only to be interrupted.  
_ \- W-wait! I-I think y-you should head up! _Alphys said, her voice betraying confusion.  
_ \- Okay, Dr. Alphys. I'm heading up.

 _As he was heading up, in front of Frisk stood a huge monster, with eyes rolling down his chest, wearing an armor - seemed like a knight. He noted that the knight was sleepy, and he began humming the tune he heard from Shyren, a soothing tune that drove the knight to sleep after Frisk did so a few times. "Now, I'm MERCYing you, monster.", the human child said as he left the huge monster lay asleep in the room. Frisk's phone then rang, at the other end he could only hear "I- I'm s-sorry, I misguided you a-again. L-let's j-just go to the right." from a rather concerned Alphys. She helped him cross a room where more lasers were staying on a path, and power was turning itself back on in that node, but just as he reached another crossroads, Alphys' nervousness increased as she told Frisk "this doesn't look like my map at all...I'm s-sorry. Y-you are on your o-own." and she clicked the phone. The human child hurried towards the yellow star of a SAVE point forming in front of him, and SAVED. "Now that I'm out of guidance, I will use my own ways to get through this.", Frisk began thinking as he walked up and down, left and right through the passages, SPARING all the monsters he met in his way, MERCY at its' finest usage, noticing the destination of the ice cubes from Snowdin - "Ice Wolf cools down the CORE." - and picking up various things, like a Glamburger thrown in a trash can, or 100 gold stashed in another trash can. "Darn it, it was really hard to spare all those monsters...always in pairs of two or three...I kinda...almost died." Frisk could only think.  
Frisk backtracked a while to MTT Resort's Fast-Food store, where a really nice monster, named Burgerpants, manned. He looked like a giant cat, and the only way Frisk could talk to him was to buy something. He got a few treats from the store, and Burgerpants told the human a lot of things about his life - like he was 19 and already wasted his life, or how Mettaton is not as great as the robot claims to be, and more about Bratty and Catty, the two saleswomen the human child encountered by accident. He decided to help him out - although he wasn't really sure how he should ACT - he returned to talk more with Bratty and Catty. He first asked about Burgerpants - he really wanted to understand more about what led to the cat monster's story, and, hearing how odd he was acting around the two girls, he genuinely hoped he could bring up the trio to some degree of friendship. That became a thing for Frisk, and he could only smile at the thought of playing 'mediator' between Burgerpants and the two girls. At the same time, Frisk learnt more about Asgore, Alphys and Mettaton - how Mettaton was built, and how Alphys used to hang around the Garbage Dump, and the usual statement of Asgore being a really nice monster, but what made Frisk rise an eyebrow was how Bratty and Catty were "SO hyped for the destruction of humanity", prompting the human to think "Everyone's obsessed with this barrier and this whole 'let's destroy the humans' thing." Anyway, he helped Burgerpants with his life, and now all that remained was finishing going up the CORE.  
_

* * *

 _Frisk walked back to the CORE, only to notice that this time, a new pathway was showing in front of him - "Oh. I must've deactivated the force field...I remember there was one here." and treaded on the iron bridge, reaching at long last, the end of the CORE. A yellow star of a SAVE point began forming, and the child pressed it, the prompt came shortly. "SAVED.", and now Frisk was only concerned with what laid in the next room, which seemed like the last room of the CORE. Determination was filling him as he walked in, facing Mettaton as the robot stood in the middle of this room._

*OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING! IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT...NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME.*

\- Somehow, I doubt it, Mettaton. But, I'm going to hear you out completely, _Frisk said, his face darkening a bit._

*AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT.*

\- And what is so wrong in her wish? It's cool she joined to help me out, _Frisk continued, his DETERERMINATION keeping him steady._

*AS I WAS SAYING...SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF IN YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU.*

\- Again, why should I believe you? You wanted to kill me the whole time, _Frisk's eyebrows furrowed._

*...SHE DID ALL THIS BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREATEST PERSON...THAT SHE'S NOT.*

\- Haven't we already gone through this? I think Alphys is really great in her own way! _Frisk's face formed a sterner look._

 _Unbeknownst to him, Alphys was listening in, and she felt both pride and shame hearing the way the human was defending her actions. He genuinely cared for her, and he was going to be her friend, no matter what. No matter that what she did was all an act to get his attention. He would've given her the attention nonetheless, because he kept hugging her when they were back at the lab, with her Genocide self along. In any Pacifist timeline, Frisk was her friend, that much was clear._

*AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE', SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU ONE FINAL TIME.*

\- I frankly don't care if she made all this up to convince me to be her friend. I believe in her, no matter what would happen. I'm willing to change your robotic mind as well, Frisk said, as his stern look and furrowed brows showed the boiling DETERMINATION in his veins.

*...SHE WANTS TO BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE, SO YOU REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE WOULD CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND. OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS, FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GREAT SHOW, DON'T THEY?*

\- Could you cut it to the chase, already? _Frisk's stern look was filling with some sort of impatience._

 _Mettaton locked the door behind Frisk, and Alphys was shocked, as she struggled to open the door. "Hey! Th-the door just locked it-itself!" she yelled from behind._

*SORRY FOLKS, THE OLD PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!* _Mettaton began reporting for the TV spectators watching his show._

 _The middle of the room began rising like a platform, and Mettaton's monologue was far from over..._

*REAL DRAMA, REAL ACTION, REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NOW SHOW...'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!' _and Frisk was forced to enter a FIGHT._

 _Even so, he was ready to play out his MERCY at all costs, and the only ACT he had at hand was...'Burn', which he would probably use if things were going on like this, but the robot divulged his plans to Frisk as they were standing sides._

\- *YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU...BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!*  
\- Wow, so much for your flamboyant talk on how you don't want to kill humans. Still, I'm going to MERCY you, even if I'll have to zap you first to get the point, _Frisk told Mettaton, as his SOUL turned yellow._  
\- *LISTEN, DARLING. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL.*  
\- Better for monsterkind that he takes my SOUL. I want monsters to be free, _Frisk's DETERMINATION made his SOUL glow shinier than the sun, and a stern look was accompanying that phrase._  
\- *BUT WITH YOUR SOUL...ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY. IF 'I' GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN!  
\- Right, right, you're bluffing, _Frisk laughed heartily as he kept his MERCY as a shield._  
\- *I CAN PREVENT THE DESTRUCTION OF HUMANITY...AND THEN, WITH YOUR SOUL, I CAN CROSS THE BARRIER AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF!  
\- Oh my God. You're all so obsessed with the destruction of the Barrier...I'm here to free you all from it, don't you get it?! _Frisk's DETERMINATION flew in his veins._

 _Alphys appealed to her last resort, calling Frisk. "H-hey, I c-can't see wh-what's going on in there, but...d-d-don't give up, okay?! Th-there's one last w-way to beat Mettaton...It's...um it's a w-work in p-progress, so don't j-judge it too hard...but you know how Mettaton a-always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-so if you c-can turn h-him a-around...a-and press the s-switch...um...he will be v-vulnerable. W-well, g-gotta go!" Frisk could only listen to her, and she could hear the breathing of the human child, but just as she was about to end the call, she heard a soft "Thanks." and then the human proceeded to do exactly what Alphys told him to. He flipped Mettaton's switch by using the old trick with the mirror and making the robot turn around._

\- *DID YOU. JUST. FLIP. MY SWITCH?*  
\- Yeah, I did, _Frisk snickered._  
\- Oh...my. If you flipped my switch, that can mean one thing.  
\- What's that, _Frisk grinned ironically._  
\- You're desperate for the premiere of my new body.  
\- What?! _the child's eyes widened._  
\- How rude...lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time.  
\- Glad I helped? _the child said, obviously surprised._  
\- I'll give you a handsome reward...I'll make your last living moments...ABSOLUTELY beautiful!

 _"What the heck?!" Frisk was thinking as he saw Mettaton's new body and how he was pulled into a second FIGHT. "Sheesh, he's giving me a real workout on MERCY, " Frisk's face formed a grin as could see some ratings to his left and how Mettaton began cheering up for the show. "Lights! Camera! Action!" and as Frisk danced his way through Mettaton-shaped robots shooting at him, bombs thrown at him, eating brand food in the process to heal himself, he managed to bring skyrocketing ratings for Mettaton, to which the latter was surprised. "OOH LOOK AT THOSE RATINGS! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD...WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME...BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER."  
_ _Frisk was happy that now he could take a rest and listen to whatever the monsters were about to tell Mettaton. "oh...hi...mettaton...i really liked watching your show...my life is pretty boring...but...seeing you on the screen...brought excitement to my life...i can't tell...but this is the last episode...? i'll miss you...mettaton...oh...i didn't mean to talk for so long..." The human child recognized the ghost in the Ruins whose house was in Waterfall. "NO, WAIT...WAIT BL..." began Mettaton, but the ghost ended its' call. Soon after the ghost's call, a lot of other callers were really sad about Mettaton's departure. "Mettaton, your show made us so happy" or "Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart.", making the robotic star reconsider his decision. "EVERYONE...THANK YOU SO MUCH." he said as he was watching the cameras behind the human child, and then he turned his eyes back on Frisk. "DARLING. PERHAPS IT WOULD BE BETTER IF I STAYED HERE FOR A WHILE. HUMANS HAVE ALREADY STARS AND IDOLS...BUT MONSTERS ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT, THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS' SPARK, I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT. AS FOR YOUR STRENGTH...YOU PROVED TO BE REALLY STRONG, MAYBE YOU CAN GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY-"  
_

\- And monsterkind alike, _Frisk said, a soft smile forming on his tired face._  
\- *IN A FEW MOMENTS, THIS FORM WILL RUN OUT OF BATTERIES. KNOCK'EM DEAD, DARLING.*

 _A flash of light surrounded the room, and Alphys was able to run in, the door unlocking itself after Mettaton's powering down. "Are you two..." Alphys began saying, but then she ran to Mettaton, whose limbs were gone, and all that was left of him was the torso. "Mettaton, Mettaton...are you?"_

\- No, he's just- _began Frisk, only to be interrupted by a concerned Alphys._  
\- thank GOD, it's just the batteries, _she said as she wiped a few drops of sweat off her face._  
\- Yeah, he's alright, _Frisk said, a small smile forming on his face, but he noted she was still watching Mettaton._  
\- Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have...I would have-, _Alphys said, in fear, still gazing at the robot's torso._  
\- He's alright, Dr. Alphys, calm down, _tried Frisk to say, soothingly._  
\- Yeah...I-I mean, i-it's no problem, _Alphys said as she finally turned towards Frisk._ He's just a robot...i-if you m-messed him up...I-I c-could always...j-just build another.  
\- I understand, but it's obvious you care about this one, _Frisk noted, with a softer smile on his face, and Alphys returned the gesture._  
\- Why don't you go on ahead? I'll be right behind, just g-give me a moment, _Alphys said as she pointed shyly towards the next room._

 _It was a rather small corridor, but at its' end, Frisk could discern what looked like...an elevator. He heard Alphys' soft footsteps behind, as she excused herself for what happened before, but Frisk kindly gestured it away, saying "It's really nothing, it's okay". She then suggested that they continue walking, and as Frisk watched her a few times during their rather short walk, he noted she kept her head down, almost ashamed of everything that happened, with her sweaty hands in the pockets of her lab coat. She could only utter a few things here and there._

\- S-so you're a-about to meet Asgore, huh?  
\- Yeah, I'm going to finally meet the King, Frisk said.  
\- Y-you must be p-pretty e-excited about that, huh?  
\- Yes, I'm...a bit nervous about meeting him, the child said, a note of worry in his voice.  
\- Y-y-you'll f-finally g-get to g-go home! Alphys tried to say, forcing the cheer in her voice.  
\- I'm having some second thoughts about this, Frisk said, with a low voice. I- oh. Well, here's the elevator, the child said as he pressed a button to open the doors.  
\- W-wait! Alphys said, in a tone of genuine concern, sweating all over. I-I mean...u-uhm...  
\- What is it, Dr. Alphys? Frisk asked, surprise ringing in his voice.  
\- I-I was j-just going t-to say...goodbye...a-and...  
\- What is troubling you? Frisk came closer to the lizard scientist, noticing the shifting of her eyes.  
\- I can't take this anymore. I lied to you.  
\- About what? Frisk asked, as he gently pat the small scientist back.  
\- A human SOUL isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone, she began, in a sad voice, tears filling her eyes. It takes at least a human SOUL...and a monster SOUL.  
\- What do you mean? the human child pressed on, shock rising on his face.  
\- If you want to go home, you'll have to take his SOUL. You'll have to kill Asgore.  
\- W-WHAT? A-ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Frisk yelled, completely flabbergasted.  
\- I'm sorry, Alphys said as she dashed away down the small corridor.

* * *

 _A small ding announced the arrival of the elevator at the Castle. Frisk really dreaded the whole thing...he didn't...didn't get this far just to have to kill someone. And that someone was Asgore Dreemurr, the King of Monsters. A small SAVE point was forming in front of Frisk, and as he SAVED, the feeling of dread and sadness was overpowering him, forcing some tears out of him. "Everyone told me how nice he is...and-and I don't want to do this anymore." he thought as he began walking down a lengthy corridor that led to the castle. In the distance he could see a lot of buildings, remembering this was the Capital of the Monster Kingdom, and therefore, many monsters must've chosen to live here, close to their King. As he reached the end of the lengthy corridor, he could see a house that looked just like Toriel's one in the Ruins, but just...so seemingly devoid of any happiness, of any warmth that existed in her home. Crossing the threshold, he could see a pot of golden flowers and a lot of bookcases, the way to the basement was blocked by a padlock. The padlock had a note attached to it, which said "Howdy! I'm in the garden. If you have anything to get off your chest, please, don't hesitate to come. The keys are in the kitchen and the hallway." The handwriting was so neat, it resembled Toriel's in some valences, although he could discern the handwriting was indicating a male.  
Frisk went to the left, and to his surprise, this room looked exactly like Toriel's living room, only there was another pot of golden flowers on the table, and the reading chair was unused. There was no fire, although the coals were warm, and in the corner of this room were gardening tools. On the bookshelf stood photo albums, scrapbooks, books on how to make tea, to which Frisk remembered Undyne's remark _about Asgore's favorite tea. _and how the human reminded her of him. In the house, several monsters were hopping along, telling a story to the human._

"A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by its' fall, the human called out for help."

 _Frisk_ recalled the memory he saw back at the Garbage Dump _,_ _but he then continued exploring the house, heading to the kitchen. The first thing he noted was the trash can, which was full of a lot of paper. On those papers stood recipes for butterscotch pie, which seemingly Asgore Dreemurr was trying to recreate and unfortunately failed. Frisk was trying to piece out Asgore's life as he was exploring the house around, and he took the key laying on the cupboard - alongside was another note in his handwriting "Help yourself to anything you want!", but just as Frisk headed for the fridge, in it stood a lot of unopened containers of snails. He sat down for a moment, trying to remember a lot of things he heard and saw throughout his journey. "Wait a second. He tries to recreate Butterscotch Pie. Has snails in his fridge... in his living room there's a reading chair like Mama Tori has...could he be...related to her in some way? I have to find out more. That story those monsters are telling is a vital clue." Frisk concluded as he continued to explore the house and met some other monsters._

"ASRIEL, the king's son, heard the human's call. He brought the human back to the castle."

 _Frisk was now realising_ the goat child he saw in that memory at the Dump was Asriel. _"Hold on. Asgore...has a son? But with who?..." his mind was racing as he went to the right side of the house, more pots of golden flowers surrounding him. There was a familiar sight - the room which he had at Toriel's, and he entered the room, just to discover it was slightly different - there were two beds, two presents lying on the floor, some dusty toys, a wardrobe full of striped shirts...and he saw a family photograph in which he tried to identify the figures he was seeing. There was a rather tall and strong monster, wearing a crown on his head and a large purple mantle, which Frisk must've thought it was Asgore Dreemurr, and next to him was Toriel - Frisk's eyes teared a bit seeing her - and then...Asriel, the goat child, and...Chara, the small human covered by those flowers. "Hold on. He...is Mama Tori's husband? B-but why isn't he with her? What happened?" Frisk sat next to the presents and opened them. One of it had a heart-shaped locket, the other had a worn dagger - and reluctantly, Frisk placed those on himself. "I have...to...to f-fight Asgore. I...have to be prepared. B-but I...really don't want to do this."  
He then exited the room and walked down the corridor, noticing on one of the rooms a small label - "Room under renovations." Again, monsters told the story of Asriel...  
_

"Over time, ASRIEL and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The underground was full of hope."

 _As he took the second key needed for the padlock, Frisk was rubbing his forehead. "King...Queen...that means Toriel was the rightful queen of the Kingdom? So he is really Mama Tori's husband. I wonder what happened with them, why are they separated?", and then Frisk looked at himself in a mirror. His face and arms were covered in cuts and healing scars, his clothes zinged and cut from all the attacks he endured, and there was a frown on his face. With a heavy sigh, that seemingly betrayed the confusion in his mind, he entered the King's room. On the desk, Asgore kept a journal, exactly like Toriel, but all the current page was saying was 'Nice day today!', his bed was a lot larger than Toriel's, and, in a bureau, he noted a Santa outfit. "So he is or was Santa for the monsters in Snowdin." Frisk smiled at the thought, and he explored the room further. In the clothes drawer, among robes and button-up shirts, he saw a pink hand-knit sweater saying 'Mr. Dad Guy', the child's smile was growing, and he then saw a big trophy lying on the floor, which said 'Number 1 Nose-Nuzzle Champs '98!', and the human child's SOUL began pulsing rapidly, with DETERMINATION. "They must've been happy together. What brought them apart was surely a huge deal both of them suffered for. I'm going to make things right for them. If Toriel is my mother, that makes Asgore my father. I can't hurt him.", a few tears dropped from Frisk's face at this thought.  
The human child treaded back towards the basement, and opened the padlock. Examining closely the old calendar from 201X, he noted a date was circled, but he didn't inquire further in it, and descended to the basement, where more monsters appearing, continuing the tale of young Asriel..._

"Then...one day...the human became very ill."

 _"Whatever could get Chara sick?..." Frisk was thinking as he heard more of the story, while walking through the basement.  
_  
"The sick human had only one request. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do. The next day...The next day, the human died."

 _"Whoa...that's really bad." Frisk's mind was racing hearing the tale unveiling._

"ASRIEL, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's SOUL. He transformed into a being with unfathomable power. With the human SOUL, ASRIEL crossed through the barrier. He carried the human's body into the sunset. Back to the village of humans."

 _"Darn it...I remember that drawing in Waterfall..did he turn into that?...And..he did cross the barrier back to the village. I wonder what comes next."_

"ASRIEL reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers. He carried the human onto it. Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw ASRIEL holding the human's body. They thought that he had killed the child."

 _"WHAT THE HECK?! He just accomplish Chara's last request and the humans...just flip thinking he killed them? What kind of stupid stuff went down here?" Frisk was rubbing his forehead after this phrase, but he was willing to hear what happened next._

"The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow. ASRIEL had the power to destroy them all. But...ASRIEL did not fight back."

 _"This...what the heck...humans attacked a poor monster child based on wild assumptions. And he didn't raise a single damn paw on them...after all, monsters have been caged here since that war, and he wasn't going to start a second war just over this. I wonder if this whole thing has a darker meaning." Frisk's brows were furrowing with disgust at what his kind did to monsters._

"Clutching the human...ASRIEL smiled, and walked away. Wounded, ASRIEL stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed. His dust spread across the garden."

 _"He...he died? THIS FEELS SO SENSELESS! What was the reason he should've died for anyway? He was a CHILD, albeit a monster child. God, whatever weird thing was going on back then?"_

"The kingdom fell into despair. The king and queen lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us. The king decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

 _"Let me take a wild, wild guess here. Is this the main reason Toriel and Asgore are, as of now, still separated? I..can't really blame either of them. I suppose she disagreed with his war declaration on humans. But, now? I'm more than willing to have them back together. Because I'm really starting to feel bad for my father, Asgore..."_

* * *

 _Genocide Alphys was watching everything from her timeline. As Frisk was shocked, she was too, because she never really knew the reason behind Asgore's dark thoughts. "Frisk has to pass through Sans' Judgement Hall. I hope that this time, Frisk will do the right thing, and Sans won't let himself conquered by what he witnessed when he fought Geno Frisk. Chara's the real enemy here, and Frisk is really the only one capable of destroying her. And...I wonder what would go down with that flower. Wait...Asriel's dust spread on that garden...is it possible that...?! No...no, no, no way...he was nice...how he'd...no!"_

 _In the meantime, Frisk was SAVING in Judgement Hall, where his old friend, Sans, was waiting. The huge corridor was illuminated by the light basking through the six Delta-runed windows, various columns rising in the room, supporting the ceiling. "so you finally made it. i must make my judgement, kid." said Sans, as he was looking at Frisk with gentle eyes. "you never gained LOVE, but you gained love, does that make any sense? no matter the hardships you've been through, you spared everyone in your way. even when you ran, you did it with a smile. anyway...what is about to happen will change monsterkind's fate forever. i wish you good luck, kid." the small skeleton said as he hugged the human child. As he walked through the corridor, he went towards what seemed to be the throne room - not before SAVING at a convenient point forming in front of him - and he entered the rather large room with a lot of golden flowers at his feet. He saw a large monster wearing a purple mantle, and he noted it must've been the king. The birds were chirping so beautifully, it made Frisk's heart warm and left way for a soft smile on his face._

\- Dum dee dum... _, King Asgore was humming, but as he heard the child's footsteps he stopped._ Oh? Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers, _the baritonal, yet tender voice of the king resounded. He then put away the watering can, after making sure no water was dripping from it. ..._ Here we are! _and he turned to face Frisk._ Howdy! How can I- _, he cut himself off, stepping a lot back, as if he saw a ghost._  
\- Sir, are you alright? Frisk asked, concerned.  
\- I...so badly want to say 'would you like a cup of tea?' But you know how it is.  
\- I wouldn't know, Sir, _Frisk retorted gently._  
\- Nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming...perfect weather for a game of catch.  
\- Yes it is, Sir, _the human child responded curtly._  
\- You know what we must do. Follow me into the next room, when you're ready, _a frown formed on the king's face, showing reluctance.  
_ _  
Frisk darted to the SAVE point forming in the Throne Room, and he then, with a heavy sigh, entered the next room. He dreaded whatever was going to happen next, but he found some comfort in the fact that the king shared his feelings. "How tense...just...think of it like...a visit to the dentist." and Frisk was really noticing the hesitation and sadness in the king's eyes. "Are you ready?" he was asking the human child, and Frisk didn't really know what to answer. "If you are not, I understand...I'm not ready either."  
The two, monster and human alike, were sitting in front of the barrier, a white light...no, twilight, was shining through it, and the wind was howling greatly in this point, echoes of a past resounding in this cavern. The king began explaining to Frisk, "This is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If by chance you have any unfinished business...please do what you must."  
_  
\- Sir, I have something to do before...we do what is needed, _Frisk said to the gentle goat monster.  
_ \- Very well, I will be waiting you here, _the King retorted.  
_ \- I will return soon, to carry on with your plan, _although Frisk's voice was betraying his sadness._

 _Genocide Alphys wasn't too surprised, as she was watching from her timeline, to see Frisk distraught by the idea of having to fight Asgore. Frisk already saw Asgore as a father, even though, for curtly manners, he kept calling him 'Sir.' Either way, she was happy that Frisk still had something to do - "he still has to visit the True Lab, and Alphys must confess to someone."_


	17. (PR) Chapter VII: Whispers of Truth

**Another day, another update!  
Yes. I'm determined to see this done with.**

 **This amazing tale is slowly, but surely, coming to an end.**  
 **I hope I will be able to give it the ending some people wait for.  
Warning, a whole lotta dialogue and a lot of spoilers? as usual...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Frisk kindly told Asgore he still had something to take care of, and as he returned back to MTT Resort, Undyne called. Seemingly nervous, and in between shouting at Papyrus, she asked the human to drop by Snowdin. Frisk ran all the way towards the elevator leading to the Castle, and then to another elevator leading just outside Alphys' lab. As he SAVED - it was just a safety measure - he asked the Riverperson to transport them towards Snowdin. "Tra la la. The waters are wild today...", the odd monster was telling Frisk, but the child was far focused on the task at hand rather than on idle words. As they reached their destination, the Riverperson kindly asked the human to return, to which Frisk replied with a curt nod, and then proceeded towards the skeleton brothers' house, where he found Undyne.  
_  
\- Uh...so...I need you to do a favor for me, human, _Undyne began, slightly embarassed.  
_ \- What's that? _Frisk asked, looking at the white piece of paper in Undyne's fins.  
\- _This is my favor. Please, deliver this letter to Dr. Alphys, _she said as she blushed a bit.  
_ \- Why don't you hand it over personally? _Frisk asked, a bit surprised at this request.  
_ \- Truthfully, I hate going through Hotland, _Undyne's face contorted a bit._  
\- Oh. I understand, then. I will deliver the letter myself, _Frisk said, a soft smile on his face._  
\- And...if you read it, I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF, _Undyne's face formed a frown._  
\- Hey, I'm going to, maybe it's going to be interesting, _Frisk joked towards the fish warrior, as he pretended to open the letter._  
\- OH MY GOD! _Undyne's rage was glinting in her eyes.  
_ \- Relax, I'm not going to do anything, _Frisk reassured her as he showed her the tightly sealed envelope._ Besides, I don't want to upset you, so I was just kidding you around, _Frisk smiled slyly.  
_ \- Just, don't ever do that again, okay? _Undyne said shyly, sweat dripping from her face.  
_ \- Don't worry, I won't, _he reassured her._

 _Frisk went back to Hotland via the Riverperson, and slid the letter under Alphys' lab door, giving it a knock. On the other side of the door, the small lizard scientist, visibly disturbed by the sight of the envelope, pondered in her mind whether to read it or not. As those events were unfolding, in another part of the timeline paradox, Genocide Alphys smiled at the thought her Pacifist self and Undyne from that timeline will finally be together. "She'll gain what I did not. And...I hope she'll cherish Frisk's aid in all this," the genocide lizard scientist chuckled as she kept on watching._

Frisk was standing in the door as he was hearing Alphys voicing out her concerns about the letter, "O-oh no, is that another letter? I don't want to open it...c-can't I just slide it back out?" but she eventually convinced herself into reading this particular letter. "I-I'll read this one," she began saying, and Frisk could hear some sounds of a struggle, prompting Alphys to comment that the envelope was shut kinda tightly. After a few seconds and some light reading of the letter, the lizard scientist opened the door, and she looked down. Both had embarassing expressions on their face - Frisk because he was put in this situation, and Alphys because she read a rather strange letter, and she didn't really know who she was talking to -, but then she inquired on what was the deal with the letter.

\- Hey, if this is a joke, it's..., she began saying, shortly realising Frisk was standing in front of her door.  
\- Hey, Dr. Alphys, the human child said, scratching the back of his head in embarassment.  
\- Oh My God? Did YOU write this letter?  
 _A brief pause held out between Frisk and Alphys, as both were looking in each other's eyes, blushing slightly.  
_ \- I-It wasn't signed, so I have no idea who could have...  
\- Yeah, i-it was me? _Frisk said finally, with a tint of blush in his cheeks.  
_ \- Oh my God. Oh no. That's really adorable...And I h-had n-no idea y-you wrote that way! It's surprising, too, after all the gross stuff I did...I don't really deserve to be forgiven, _Alphys was saying, a sad look in her eyes and lowering her head._  
\- Please, d-don't blame yourself anymore. I...really find you kinda cute, _Frisk said, blushing red.  
_ \- This was written so passionately...and you know what? Okay, I'll do it. It's the least I can do, to make it up to you! _Alphys said, sweating._ Yeah, let's go on a date!

 _Alphys was fumbling around until she got dressed in a black dress, that had some shining jewels on it. Frisk had to admit, she looked really beautiful in that outfit, and he kinda nosebled. "Oh God...", but Alphys kept saying she had to give Frisk some items to raise 'the affection statistic', to have a good date together. She showed gifts like metal armor polish, waterproof cream for scales, a magical spear repair kit - and to Frisk it was more and more obvious Alphys totally wanted to date Undyne - and he asked simply to just go on with the date. She was awkward at making up for conversation, but the only thing she managed to ask Frisk was that if he liked anime, to which the child replied with a hearty 'yes'. Alphys then suggested they hang out at the Garbage Dump, and Frisk was more than happy to comply._

\- This is where Undyne and I come all the time, _the lizard scientist trailed off.  
_ \- It's really cool here, _Frisk noted._  
\- Yeah, we find all sorts of cool stuff here, _Alphys continued._ Heh, she's really...  
\- Tell me something, Alphys. Is she the one you'd really want to date with? _Frisk inquired, visibly ashamed of the question.  
_ \- Oh no, that's her over there! I c-can't let her see me on a date with you!  
\- Why not? I could explain... _Frisk trailed off, but Alphys shushed him, while she hid behind a trashcan._

\- Hey, there you are, _said Undyne._  
\- Hi, Undyne, what's up, _Frisk asked, seeing the concern in the fish monster's eyes._  
\- I...realized, if you deliver that thing, it might be a bad idea. So I'm gonna do it! Give it to me!  
\- The letter? I already delivered it to Dr. Alphys, _Frisk scratched the back of his head._  
\- Darn it! Have you at least seen her?  
\- Yes, I did, _said Frisk._  
\- Oh, so she's somewhere around here, _Undyne's smile was sly._

\- Oh my God... _said Alphys as she was trembling with fear.  
_ \- It's alright, she's gone now. Anyway, care to answer my question? _Frisk asked as he was looking at Alphys with concern._  
\- I g-guess it's obvious, no? I really like her...I mean, more than I like other people!  
\- Yeah, I got this pretty much myself, _the human said, a soft smile forming on his face._  
\- I t-think it would be n-nice...t-to go on a k-kinda...cute...pretend date, with you? _Alphys said, visibly embarassed._  
\- I guess it would, but to me it sounds like I'm dating someone older, _the child replied._  
\- Well, it sounds worse when I put it that way, _the lizard monster said._ I'm sorry, I messed up again.  
\- No, no. We're cool, Alphys, trust me, _the kid smiled softly towards her, almost wanting to hug her for comfort._  
\- A-and to answer your question...y-yes, Undyne's the one I...really want to go on a date with. But...I mean...she's way out of my league.  
\- H-hey, _Frisk began._ If you thought I wanted to date you...I don't really think she's out of your league. And really...I'm not that old, what do I know about relationships? All I know is just I want to see you happy, Alphys.  
 _  
In the meantime, Genocide Alphys was watching with interest the whole 'date' going on between her Pacifist self and Frisk, and she was genuinely shocked to hear those words from the human child, as if they were addressed to her as well. "He's truly going to help out her in dating Undyne. I don't know how, but that's what I feel. I...think any Pacifist Frisk would do the same."_

\- Wow, you're really cool, human, _Alphys said as she smiled briefly._  
\- Hey, don't flatter me, it's alright, _Frisk said as he wiped a few drops of sweat from his face._  
\- I...think Undyne's so strong, so confident...and so funny...a-and I'm just a nobody.  
\- I honestly doubt that, _the human child beamed at her._ You're smart, you're thoughtful, and you know your skills, _Frisk cheered her._  
\- I'm a fraud. I may be the royal scientist, but all I've done was to hurt people. I've told her so many lies, she thinks I'm a lot cooler than I actually am. If she gets closer to me, she'll find out the truth about me.  
\- You know, I...understand why you might have done that, _began Frisk, with a thoughtful expression on his face._ You didn't want to lose her, and you wanted to change just for her. But, I really think you should come clean to her.  
\- To tell her the truth?...But if I do that, I'm sure she'll hate me.  
\- Somehow, I really doubt that, Alphys. Trust me, _the child beamed at her once more._  
\- They say...'be yourself.' But I really don't like who...'myself' is.  
\- This time only, _Frisk said as he gently took the lizard's paw into his hand,_ trust me. Come clean. I like you, and you are my friend, _he said smiling.  
_ \- Yeah...you're right. E-everytime, I'm scared of what would happen if people learnt the truth on their own. They'll all get hurt because of me...But how can I tell UNDYNE the truth? I'm not confident, I'll mess it up, how can I practice?! _the lizard monster was all panicked._  
\- Let's just...roleplay it? _Frisk said, his eyes glinting with Determination._  
\- That actually...sounds kinda fun! _Alphys said as she giggled._  
\- Okay...which one of us will be Undyne?  
\- I think it's best that I take her role, _the child said, softly._  
\- Oh, right...obviously, hehehe. Ahem...

 ***Roleplay time!*  
**  
\- H-hi Undyne, how are you doing today?  
\- I'm fine.  
\- Ha! Ha! Glad to hear it. Uhh...so..I'd like to...talk to you about something.  
\- What is it, Alphys.  
\- Umm...you see...I...I...I h-haven't been exactly truthful w-w-with you...Y-you see, I...I...Oh, forget it! Undyne! I...I want to tell you how I feel! Y-you're so brave, a-and strong...a-and nice...y-you a-always listen t-to me wh-when I talk about n-n-nerdy stuff...y-you a-always d-do your b-best to m-make me feel s-s-special...like t-telling me y-y-you'll beat up a-anyone that g-gets in m-my way...UNDYNE! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER! I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU! HOLD ME UNDYNE! HOLD ME!

 ***Roleplay time over!***

 _The yells of the obviously excited lizard scientist roared all around the Garbage Dump, as she held onto Frisk the human, who was now laughing heartily, but his laughing stopped the moment Undyne ran up to the two, and he broke off the rather tight hug in which Alphys held him. "WHAT did you just say?" Undyne asked Alphys, seemingly puzzled over what she just heard a few moments ago._

\- U...Undyne...I...was...just...  
\- Hey, woah, wait a second, _Undyne said as she glanced at Alphys._ Your outfit's really cute, what's the occasion?  
\- Er..., _Frisk tried to say something, but he was blushing furiously after all the roleplay._  
\- Wait a second. Are you two...on a date?  
\- UHH, YES?!  
\- Alphys..., _Frisk retorted, placing a palm over his face, still blushing furiously._  
\- I mean...UHH, NO! I mean...we were, but ...now, actually, we were romantically roleplaying as you!  
\- WHAT?! _Undyne's expression went from anger, to confusion, and back again to a mix of anger and confusion._  
\- I MEAN! I mean...Undyne I...I've been lying to you! _Alphys said, sweating._  
\- WHAT? ABOUT WHAT?! _the fish monster's expression shifted again to a worried confusion.  
_ \- About...well...everything! Remember when I told you seaweed was extremely important? I just use it to make ice cream! And those human history books are just dorky comic books...and those human history tapes are just...uh, anime! They aren't real!... _Alphys seemed exhausted after such a long confession._

 _Frisk could only regain his calm, slowly, as his face was no longer that red-almost-crimson colour, and he watched as the two women were finally confessing to one another._

\- Alphys..., _began Undyne in a soft voice, a tone Frisk never heard of her until now._  
\- I just...wanted to impress you, _the lizard said._ I just wanted you to think I was smart and cool...that I wasn't some...nerdy loser.  
\- Alphys, _Undyne's voice was softer, as she, slowly and gently, pat the small lizard's head._  
\- Undyne...I really think you're neat, OK?  
\- Alphys..., _the fish monster was softly hugging the scientist lizard, patting her back, only for her to stop, and throw Alphys in the trash can the lizard hid behind a little earlier._

 _Frisk was totally shocked to see Undyne perform like that on the poor lizard, but he was still looking at this scene with curiosity._

\- Alphys! I think you're neat, too, I guess... _Undyne trailed off a bit._ But, you've gotta realize...most of what you said doesn't really matter to me. I don't care if you watch kids' cartoons or read history books. To me, all that stuff is just NERDY CRAP! _Undyne was genuinely smiling as she said that, but her confession was far from over._ What I like about you is that you're PASSIONATE! You're ANALYTICAL! It doesn't matter what it is, YOU CARE ABOUT IT, 100-PERCENT, AT MAXIMUM POWER!...so...you don't have to lie to me. I dont want you to have to lie to anyone anymore. Alphys, I want to help you become happy with who you are, and I know just the training you need to do that!  
\- U...Undyne...you...you're gonna train me?... _Alphys' eyes were glimmering with hope._  
\- Pfft, what, ME? _Undyne laughed softly._ Nah, I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it.  
\- GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN', _Papyrus said as he appeared in a 'JOGBOY' outfit, seemingly similar to his 'COOL DUDE' one._ IT'S TIME TO JOG 100 LAPS, HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!  
\- Ready? I'm about to start the timer, _Undyne said._  
\- U-Undyne...I'll do my best...!

 _Undyne's attention was now back to Frisk, after a long time in which he stood just as a spectator. In the parallel timeline, Genocide Alphys was pretty much in the same state as the human, heartily laughing and happy that her Pacifist self finally got to confess towards Undyne. "At least, in that timeline, we're together, Undyne." Geno Alphys was thinking, but she watched with interest what followed._

 _-_ OH MY GOD! She was kidding, right? Those cartoons, those comics...Those are still REAL, right?! ANIME'S REAL, RIGHT?!  
\- I'm afraid not, anime's not real, _Frisk said with Determination flicking in his eyes._  
\- No...NO! I CAN FEEL MY HEART BREAKING INTO PIECES!  
\- I'm really sorry to disappoint you, _Frisk said, lowering his head._  
\- Actually...no...I can survive this...I have to be strong. For Alphys. Thank you, human, for telling me the truth. I'll try my best to live in this world...  
\- It's okay. I'm glad you took it in, nonetheless, _Frisk smiled._

* * *

 _As Frisk made his way through the Garbage Dump once more - this time he didn't have to fight anyone - his phone rang, and recognized Papyrus's ID. "HOWDY! IF IT ISN'T MY GOOD FRIEND, WHO TRUSTS ME. THIS IS PAPYRUS, YOUR ALSO MUTUAL FRIEND. ALPHYS AND I FINISHED OUR TRAINING EARLY. VERY EARLY. SO I SENT HER HOME..VERY HOME. UH... NOW. I FEEL STRONGLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON...YOU SHOULD ALSO GO THERE. TO HER LAB...HOUSE...I HAVE ONLY GOOD FEELINGS ABOUT THIS. GOODBYE." It was kinda odd Papyrus said 'Howdy', instead of 'Hello, this is Papyrus', which made Frisk wonder if it wasn't someone else playing a trick on him, but decided to follow the advice he heard on the phone. So he returned to Hotland, where Alphys' lab was._

 _The automatic doors opened, and the lab was still brilliantly illuminated. However, as he was treading along the hallway, he noticed something different about the trashcan. It had a note in a strange handwriting, saying 'I KNOW WHAT YOU DID.', prompting Frisk to believe someone was threatening Alphys with something. Either way, he continued down the hallway, until he reached a note that, this time, seemed to contain Alphys' handwriting, and it was hard to read. It said..."Hey. Thanks for your help, back there. You guys...your support really means a lot to me. But...as difficult as it is to say this...you guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away. I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that right now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again...if you want to know 'the truth'. Enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did. - Alphys." Frisk really frowned at the thought of not hearing from her again, as she was sweet, really sweet and smart. "Now. I can truly say I'm on my own, for now..." the human child said as he entered the door to what seemed to be an elevator, and he pressed the only button, designed to go towards the 'True Lab.' But just as he pressed that button, the elevator began descending furiously, losing all stability - Frisk could hear various screeches here and there because of the friction of metal over metal - only for the elevator to finally come down to a halt. The doors opened, and all that was in front of Frisk was a dimly light chamber that led into a hallway - the entire lab seemed to have been decommissioned for some time - but what intrigued the human were the electronic panels that held out some log entries, and he began reading them._

 _ENTRY NUMBER ONE. 'This is it...Time to do what the King had asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL.'_  
 _ENTRY NUMBER TWO. 'The barrier is locked by SOUL power...Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now...The SOULs of monsters.'_  
 _ENTRY NUMBER THREE. 'But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require incredible power...Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host. And...unlike the persistent SOULs of humans...The SOULs of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's SOUL last...'_  
 _ENTRY NUMBER FIVE. 'I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living. The resolve to change fate...let's call this power..."DETERMINATION." '_

 _"So...she knew more about Determination than she led on, and Asgore was just telling her to find a solution to break the barrier.", Frisk's mind was slowly processing this series of notes, as he advanced deeper in the True Lab. "The monsters are and were kinda desperate for a solution to return to the surface. I still wonder who's the Angel of Life." Frisk was thinking back to the prophecy, making him wonder if he was the Angel of Life, or the prophecy referred to somebody else. As he treaded up on the corridor lying in front of him, the child noticed a huge door, with four lights on it, and an electronic panel next to it, saying 'POWER ROOM'. Next to the panel stood a piece of paper, written in red ink, saying..."elevator...lost power...enter center door.", and a SAVE point. He decided to touch the SAVE point just in case...the eerie atmosphere surrounding this lab was enough to make Frisk shiver, and he began walking up a corridor that formed from the SAVE - a corridor that had, on its' walls, another series of logs._

 _ENTRY NUMBER SIX. 'Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down." Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose...and they'll soon turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "Determination" into them? If their SOULs persist after they perish...then, freedom might be closer than we all thought.'_

 _"So, she did experiment with Determination. Wonder what happened to the monsters?" Frisk's eyes were twinkling as he reached another room at the end of this new corridor. The room seemingly looked like a ward for ill monsters, and he could discern on a wall, yet another entry. He was getting rather curious about this whole Determination experiment story that Alphys' entries revealed - because, by now, he figured Alphys was the author of those logs, but this one was entered rather hastily, reminding of Sans' usual handwriting._

 _ENTRY NUMBER NINE. 'things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned into dust, so I can't get their SOULs. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening. what do i do?'_

 _After Frisk finished examining the entry, he saw three beds that looked like operating tables, actually. At a touch, these felt sticky, as if...they were still used? Walking further into the room, he saw three sinks, some cabinets, and another corridor. Frisk decided to wash his hands after touching those tables, but as he turned on a sink, something white poured out of it. In front of him stood some strange, scary monsters, and his only thought was to use the phone - as he placed it near his ear, he could hear the scary monsters saying something in eerie voices. "Come join the fun", those voices said, but Frisk politely refused them and offered them MERCY, making those eerie monsters disappear as quickly as they appeared. In the sink, the child noted a red key of sorts, and he took it, placing it on the keychain. "Wonder where this goes," Frisk's mind was racing as he headed towards the next corridor that was revealing itself in this room, only to see the corridor was actually leading towards a smaller room, with a strange device hanging on the wall and a note, next to it. He couldn't read everything on the note, but it said..."drain...dropped it.", only to figure it referred to the red key he picked up earlier. With hesitation, he placed the key into the device. It fitted perfectly in the slot, and a dim light was emitting from the device, meaning that it was operational. Frisk backtracked down to the main hall of the lab, with the power room in sight - this time, he noticed one light was up, the red one. "Hold on a second...did I just turn on the red light with that key?" a wild, but correct guess was going in his mind. He noted there was another corridor to the right, and the door before him was glowing red as well, from the lights._

 _The door automatically opened as Frisk crossed the threshold, and he noted this lab was a maze of corridors and rooms. "How the heck was Alphys working all alone here, in this maze?" but he had little time to think on her wellbeing, as another series of electronic panels was hanging on the walls, meaning there were more entries._

 _ENTRY NUMBER TWELVE. 'nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination". i want this to work.'_  
 _ENTRY NUMBER THIRTEEN. 'one of the bodies opened its' eyes.'_

 _"This totally scares me. She was bringing monsters back from the dead?" Frisk's eyes widened at the thought. "What the heck was she doing...well, I get it, she wanted the experiment to work so she could free monsterkind and fulfill King Asgore's orders...but this...this is...hard to process right now." the child said under his breath as he walked down this newly found corridor, which ended in another ward...full of beds, that seemed almost comfortable. He had to admit, he was really, really tired, and a moment of sleep would really help him out process everything he was taking in tow, and as the child headed towards a bed that had the blanket rolled...he felt a strange breathing behind his back...and as he closed his eyes in fear, whatever was behind pulled the blanket up, covering the child, and gently patting his head. He laid in there for five full minutes, trying to get what was going on. "There's so much I don't know and so little that I do. I wonder...there's something lurking in the dark, there's something waiting for the truth to come out." He rose from the bed, and began exploring around - he saw an empty bowl of a dog, some fake plants, a clock that stopped...and a SAVE point. "SAVED.", came back the prompt as the child touched it with fear. On an adjacent wall, stood another log._

 _ENTRY NUMBER FOURTEEN. 'Everyone that had fallen down...has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing's wrong. I thought they were goners...?'_

 _"Well, so the monsters clearly returned back from the dead, and they were just...living again?" a cold shiver ran through Frisk's spine, shaking his head at the thought. As he was exploring this rather large ward, he saw another corridor. "Another one? Where does this one lead to..." he began muttering under his breath as he made his way there. It was a room full of...mirrors, and on a table stood a lot of flowers. He looked at himself in a mirror, and he could see the fear in his eyes, but after a careful look around the room, he could see, on the walls, a set of logs. "Let me see...so she was experimenting with Determination. She wanted to inject everything with it, if I recall...argh, so much to take in tow!" he thought as a frown formed on his face - but he proceeded on with examining the logs._

 _ENTRY NUMBER SEVEN. 'We'll need a vessel to wield the monster's SOULs when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULs of other monsters, just as a human cannot absorb a human SOUL...So then, what about something that's neither human or monster?'_  
 _ENTRY NUMBER TEN. 'experiments on the vessel are a failure. it doesn't seem to be any different from the control cases. whatever. they're a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you, and won't let go...'_

 _"Wait, seeds? So she was experimenting on plants?" Frisk voiced his thought as he approached the table full of flowers - only to realise, to his horror, that those were golden flowers - "what the heck is going on...am I missing something? Wait.." Frisk rubbed his forehead nervously as he sat down for a moment, as if trying to piece out what he learned so far..."Golden flowers...Asgore...his garden...wait...the dust spread in the garden...wasn't that how the story went on...? Don't tell me this is about that pesky flower, Flowey..." he widened his eyes at the realisation. He treaded on towards a set of mirrors, only to watch a weird monster appear behind him. "SHIT!" Frisk roared as he got really scared by this mixture of monsters. He began ACTing at his best, humming, mystifying the creature and kneeling before it for MERCY, until the mixture, known as "Reaper Bird," finally remembered itself, and left the poor, scared human alone, as the latter used his MERCY. "Oh. Whatever was that. First those...things...now this...I just..." Frisk was still shivering, but he could discern, in the dark, another corridor, which led to a room similar to the one he saw before, only the device was bearing a different light, and the note indicated where the key for this one was. "cold..."_

 _He returned to the rather large ward he was in, SAVED, and went down the door forming in front of him. This was a crossroads, and he could only go to the left, or to the right. His instinct dictated that he should first go to the left, and he noticed yet another log he was eager to read._

 _ENTRY NUMBER FIFTEEN. 'Seems like this research was a dead end...But at least we got a happy ending out of it...? I sent the SOULs back to Asgore, the vessel in his garden...And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)'_

 _ENTRY NUMBER SIXTEEN. 'no nO NO NO NO'_

 _"That can't be all..." Frisk thought, as he examined the log - there was another entry after this one, but it wasn't here. However, the phone began glowing in his pocket, and as he hovered it in front of the Sixteenth Entry, he could actually...read the next entry!_

 _ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN. 'monsters' physical forms can't handle "determination" like humans' can. with too much determination, our bodies begin to break down. everyone's melted together...' and after what presumably was Alphys' conclusion, there was a weird handwriting, in symbols. Frisk was a bit puzzled at first, but he recalled how he used to speak in sign language at a point. He remembered that Mr. White taught him that, when Frisk was too shy to speak - and as he used the sign language to decipher the whole entry, his eyes were widening, and glinting with some fear._

 _'DARK, DARKER, YET DARKER  
THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING  
THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER  
PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE  
THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS VERY, VERY INTERESTING  
WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?'_

 _"Wait, whose entry's this? And...so many references to darkness...I wonder if this person, whoever they were, knew about...the Angel of Death." Frisk rubbed his forehead in thinking, as he proceeded further down the hall, to enter a room where a huge, scary machine, was lying above his head. "Cool, a SAVE point!" the human thought as he raced towards it, only for the yellow star to turn into another hideous monster, named..."Lemon Bread.", and which ironically smelt like lemons. Frisk ACTed as best as he could, flexing his arm, leaving the monster be, and humming a familiar tune for the monster, until the latter refused to fight the child anymore and Frisk offered his MERCY. "God. Those monsters really, really test my MERCY and my power to ACT towards them. I'm getting tired of those fights...and I wonder, what's that huge, scary machine hovering over me." he thought as he rushed to the panel in the left. "DT EXTRACTION MACHINE. STATUS: INACTIVE", and then he went to the right, to discover a rather strange room. In it was a TV and some cabinets that, at a closer examination, were VHS-es with various cartoons, alphabetized, apart from a few stray, sticky ones, and to the left, yet another log from Alphys._

 _ENTRY NUMBER FOUR. 'I've been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their SOULs. I ended up snooping around the castle...and found these weird tapes. I don't feel like Asgore's watched them...I don't think he should.'_

 _At a closer examination, Frisk noted that, apart from the large TV, there was a VHS-player, with some tapes that seemed to be picked out. "These must be the weird tapes the entry mentioned.", Frisk thought, as he saw the order of these tapes. On their labels, stood written: "Tape 1, 2, 3, 4, 5", and given their order, Frisk started playing out the first tape. The whirr of the VHS-player, that didn't seem to be used very often, could be heard as the TV screen was now black, the tape had only audio on it. The child recognized the two voices, and his heart, already broken, was again aching for one presence._

"- Pssst. Gorey, wake up, _Toriel's soft voice rang from the tape.  
_ \- Mmm? What is it, dear? _Asgore's sleepy, but still baritonal voice rang,_...err, and why do you have that video camera? _  
_\- Shush! I want to get your reaction, _Toriel said as she laughed softly._ Gorey, dearest. What's my favourite vegetable? _  
_\- Hmm...carrots, right? _  
_\- No no no, _Toriel laughed again._ My FAVORITE vegetable is Eda-MOM-e...get it? _  
_\- Go back to bed, dear, _Asgore's voice said, sleep slowly taking him.  
_ \- No no! Not yet! Hee hee hee, _Toriel's laughter rang._ Now. If I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be? _  
_\- Hmm...I don't know, honey. What kind of dog would you be? _  
_\- I would be...A MOMERANIAN, _Toriel burst in a soft giggle.  
_ \- Hohoho! _Asgore laughed heartily._ You sure are excited to have this child. You know...if you keep making jokes like this, one day, you could be...a famous MOMedian. _  
_\- Well, I am going to bed, _Toriel said sleepily.  
_ \- Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny! _Asgore said, a feeling of shock in his voice.  
_ \- Hahaha, I know. I'm just teasing you, _Toriel playfully retorted, a giggle escaping her._ Goodnight, dear. _  
_\- Goodnight, honey, _Asgore replied, softly.  
_ \- Oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out..., _Toriel noted, as the videotape ended."_

 _"Dear God, they were so sweet together...", Frisk's eyes glinted with happiness, as he left out a hearty laughter himself. "Those were happy days for them, and ...it feels sad to see them apart now." Frisk's happiness dissipated as quickly as it appeared, a frown forming on his face. "Let's play the next tape..."_

 _The next tape had yet another set of familiar sounds and voices, because, as he played it, he recognized the birds that were chirping in the garden, and Asriel's and Chara's voices._

"- Okay, Chara, are you ready? _  
_\- Yeah, I am, Asriel, _the reply came.  
_ \- Do your creepy face! _Asriel said.  
_ \- BOO, _Chara said.  
_ \- AHHHHH! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait...I had the lens cap on..., _Asriel said, almost sad.  
_ \- I'm not doing that again, Asriel, _Chara retorted."  
_ \- What!? You're not gonna do it again? _  
_\- Maybe some other time, _Chara went on.  
_ \- Come on, quit tricking me! Haha! _Asriel pleaded as the videotape ended."_

 _"It would seem like Chara did keep up an act here...none of her replies seemed really genuine to me." Frisk said to himself, as he felt the tension in Chara's voice on that tape. "Next tape. This thing got me asking a lot of questions anyway."_

 _This time, this video had ...well, still audio feed. The setting was the same, it was shot in the garden, and the two children were again the protagonists._

"-Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! _Asriel said, behind the camera.  
It made Frisk imagine that, perhaps, she was smiling with that evil, sick and twisted grin he saw on Genocide Frisk's face - back in those Genocidal memories.  
_\- HA! This time I got YOU! I left the cap on...ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason! Hee hee hee. _  
_\- Remember that day when we wanted to bake something? _Chara's voice resounded, and Frisk could sense some malicious intent.  
_ \- What? Oh yeah, I remember...when we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? _  
_\- Yeah, that day, _her voice retorted, that intent still audible.  
_ \- The recipe asked for cups of butter...but we accidentally put in buttercups instead, _Asriel's voice was a tone sadder.  
_ \- And those things...got him sick, if I recall, _Chara's intent was still there, in her voice.  
_ \- Yeah...those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad, we made Mom really upset...I should've laughed it off, like you did...um, anyway, where are you going with this? _Asriel's voice passed from a tone of sadness, to a tone of concern for his sibling.  
_ \- Turn off that thing already, _Chara said to Asriel, almost like she was giving an order.  
_ \- Huh? Turn off the camera...? OK, _was all that the goat child said as the videotape ended."_

 _"Shit. Don't tell me Chara poisoned her father...right? Her father that was loving her a lot, like Mama Tori did?" Frisk's eyes widened in horror at the thought. "Where the heck was she going with all this?" he muttered nervously under his breath, picking up the next tape._

 _Again, the tape was shot in the garden, and it captured another talk between Chara and Asriel._

"- I...I don't like this idea, _Chara.  
_ \- Are you afraid, Asriel? _the human girl retorted to him, almost angrily._ Are you a crybaby? _  
_\- Wh...what? N-no, I'm not..., big kids don't cry, _Asriel said, almost sniffing.  
_ \- Exactly, Asriel. You're doing just fine. _  
_\- Yeah, you're right, _Asriel said to Chara.  
_ \- Tell me, do you have any doubts about this? _Chara asked, anger stemming from her.  
_ \- No! I'd never doubt you, Chara... Never! _Asriel's voice was a bit steadier.  
_ \- You know that like this we'll be strong, and free everyone, _Chara said, almost...tempting the monster child?...or so Frisk thought.  
_ \- Y-yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone! _Asriel cheered._ I'll go get the flowers, _he said as the videotape ended."_

 _"Shit...he was corrupted by Chara's malevolent influence, although he was truly unaware just how evil she was." Frisk muttered under his breath, as he reached for the fifth tape.  
This time, Frisk wasn't so sure on where the tape was shot, as it only contained audio as well._

"- Chara...can you hear me? We want you to wake up, Asriel's voice pleaded.  
\- Chara! You have to stay determined! Asgore's voice bellowed. You can't give up...you are the future of humans and monsters...  
\- Psst...Chara... please... wake up...I don't like this plan anymore. I...I...  
\- You...d-doubt me...A-Asriel? Chara's weak voice resounded to the goat child.  
\- No...I said...I'd never doubt you. Six...right? We just have to get six. And we'll do it together right? Asriel said as the tape ended."

 _Frisk, after all those tapes, began to understand the whole story that was unfolding before him, however, he wasn't yet ready to reveal his conclusions. He wanted to have everyone around him when that will happen. "Mama Tori and Papa Gorey need to know, especially. And the other monsters, should understand that the first human they thought as 'their hope' was nothing but a child with serious homicidal issues, right from the start. She didn't want a happy ending for anyone at all. And it's my duty to stop her influence forever." he thought as his brows furrowed in anger and sadness - anger in the name of the Dreemurrs that suffered at the hand of a sick child, and sadness in the name of the monsters who were forced to live in the Underground even more because of Chara's crazy actions. "Chara...you are going to be dead, right where the heck you'll be standing when I come after you." Frisk's eyes were glinting with DETERMINATION as he said that. He then rose up and explored the room further, noting yet another device and a note. "under...sheets..." said the note, and the human child backtracked to the large ward, checking a bed that had something under the sheets, only for it to drop a yellow key that fitted in the device where the TV room was._

 _He walked past the DT machine, and ended up in a cold, foggy room, where he could just feel his way through. He felt, at first, something warm and moist, after that, he felt someone...in the room with him - "something in the shape of a man," he thought - but he figured that he needed to clean out the room before he can proceed further, and went down to the farther right, where he found yet another entry log, and a lot of fans, that were not powered._

 _ENTRY NUMBER ELEVEN. 'now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore...except to ask me when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore...then we'll never be friends ever again. not to mention, every time i try work on it, i just get really sweaty...'_

 _After he read the note, Frisk noticed...something like a switch on the end wall of this room, and as he pressed it, not only the fans began working, but another weird monster appeared before his eyes. It looked like a huge dog with no face, and his name was..."Amalgamate", but to Frisk, tending to dogs was nothing new...so he began beckoning the strange dog, petting and playing with it for as long as it needed, only for it to finally give up and accept the child's MERCY. "Sheesh. That was one strange dog. Those...monsters I met...are these the ones Alphys mentioned ...they melted together?" Frisk said, as he was smiling softly at the thought. "I might become a detective one day...honestly.", he said to himself as he wondered back to the cold, foggy room, only to discover all the cold and fog was dissipated by the four fans lying above, on the ceiling. "Great, more logs," he said as he noted the two electronic panels behind the refrigerators._

 _ENTRY NUMBER NINETEEN. 'the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore.'_

 _"So, that's one of the reasons Alphys hates to talk on the phone..." the human said as_

 _ he remembered Alphys' slight hesitation until she fully talked with him on the phone throughout Hotland - "I DON'T WANNA DO THIS LMAO" but, he understood her reluctance and shyness. He was glad that he got her with Undyne now..._

 _ENTRY NUMBER TWENTY. 'Asgore left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry, one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. thanks asgore.'_

 _"Ah, I remember seeing that cup! It was really resembling a lizard...", Frisk mused as he was smiling, but he was about to finish reading all the entries so far._

 _ENTRY NUMBER TWENTY-ONE. 'i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it's my element.'_

 _"Welp. I think that's what drew her...into...contemplative thinking about the abyss. She...planned to off herself, but Undyne saved her unknowingly." Frisk's face was forming a small frown, as he went on exploring the area he was in, only to be confronted with another monster, that seemingly looked like a Snowdrake - a few bad puns about snow managed to drive her away from Frisk - but in the process, the child discovered a blue key he immediately picked up. Entering another room, a device was there, but figured this wasn't the key for it, as the colours differed. The note next to the device said..."curtain.", but the child wasn't so sure where was that last key. He backtracked all the way...until he saw another corridor. "Oh. I haven't been here before-" but just as he entered the room, a weird thing was moving behind a curtain. He approached it...slowly...and pulled out the curtain, only to realise it was just his imagination. "Hell. This place surely makes me see things here. But hey, what's this?" he said as he bowed over the edge of the tub to pick up a green key. "This is the match for that one in the cold room. But the blue one...where does it go?"  
_

* * *

 _After a lot of searching and scouting, he placed the remaining keys in their respective devices - in the cold room, and in the room with the flowers - and then returned back in the Main Hall of the Lab. "The power room door's open, finally." He ended up in another powered off elevator - which had two exits, apparently - and he made his way to the left. There was another corridor like every other found in the True Lab. There were two electronic panels hanging on the walls, turned off, and at the end of the corridor, Frisk walked in a large room. The room was host for a huge generator at its' very end, and the child thought it must be responsible for powering up the elevators, and as he pressed the button on that large generator, behind him, he heard a lot of screeches and weird sounds. He turned towards the source of those sounds, to realise, in horror, with eyes wide open, that a lot of Amalgamates were dashing towards his position, when a voice bellowed through the room, which Frisk failed to recognize at first in his fear._

 _\- HEY! Stop! I got you guys some food, okay! the voice rang, and a figure approached the strange monsters._

 _In the dim light, Frisk recognized Alphys between those monsters, and exhaled in relief as she ushered the odd creatures away._

\- Sorry about that..., _the shy lizard scientist began excusing herself towards Frisk._  
\- It's okay, _Frisk said._ You were right on time, _he managed to form a smile on his tired face._  
\- They get kind of sassy when they don't get fed on time.  
\- That much is obvious, _the human child said, as he laughed it away._  
\- Um...anyway...the power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on! she said. But it seems like...you were one step ahead of me, _the lizard said, visibly ashamed._ This was just probably a big inconvenience for you, b-b-but I appreciate you came here to back me up!  
 _-_ Any time, Alphys, _the child said, extending his left hand, in a rather dismissive gesture, as if he would've backed her up anyway._  
 _-_ As I said...I was afraid I might...not come back...but that's not because of these guys or anything, _Alphys said, nervously._ I was just worried I would be too afraid...to tell the truth. That I might run away, or do something...cowardly, _she said as she lowered her head._  
 _-_ Alphys... _began Frisk._ Listen. I...heard about your...i-issues. Y-you already have a friend in me, and you c-can talk to me if you want...about t-that, _the child said, visibly nervous himself, stuttering because of his emotions and genuine concern for Alphys' sake._ Anyway...could you clear me up on...something? Could you tell me more about your studies?  
\- I...I suppose I owe you an explanation. As you probably know...Asgore asked me to study the nature of SOULs. During my research, I isolated a power I called..."determination." I injected it into dying monsters so that their SOULs would last after death. But the experiment failed. You see, unlike humans', monsters' bodies don't have enough...physical matter to take those concentrations of "determination". Their bodies started to melt, and they lost what physicality they had. Pretty soon, all of the test subjects had melted together into...those, she said, exhaling with sadness.  
\- Oh. I understand now..., _Frisk said towards her._ I was pretty much on the same idea, but yours sounds much more rational, _the child nodded._ Go on, I want to hear more.  
\- Seeing them like this...I knew...I couldn't tell their families about it. I couldn't tell anyone about it, no matter how much everyone was asking me. And I was afraid to do any more work, knowing...everything I've done so far had been such a horrific failure. But now...now I've changed my mind about all this. I'm going to tell everyone what I've done.  
\- You'll be able to do it, Alphys, I know it, Frisk could only encourage her.  
\- It's going to be hard...being honest, believing in myself. I'm sure there will be times where I'll struggle, I'm sure there will be times where I screw up again..., but knowing, deep down, that I have friends to fall back on...I know it will be a lot easier to stand on my own.

 _Frisk could only gently smile at the young lizard, who was finally gaining back her lost self-confidence she used to have. In the parallel timeline, Geno Alphys was pleased that her Pacifist self finally realised she wasn't going to be alone anymore, and all thanks to Frisk's gentle care and concern for her - as he did care and concern for everyone - and all Pacifist Alphys could say to the young child was "Thank you."_

 _Now that the power was back on, Frisk went down the hallway, only to note that the previously turned off panels were now on, and they had a sick, red smile on them before the entry. Half shuddering, half curious, the child pressed on with reading the entries._

 _ENTRY NUMBER EIGHT. 'I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it... In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder...what happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?'_

 _ENTRY NUMBER EIGHTEEN. 'the flower's gone.'_

 _Just as Frisk headed towards the elevator, that was now up and running, his phone rang. At the other end, there was a voice he did not know, and it addressed him with the name of the first human child. "Chara? Are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well...Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara, see you soon."_

* * *

 **Wow. I can't wait to write the final chapters of this story!**  
 ***cough* yes, it's not going to be just the final pacifist battle,*cough* spoilers, spoilers *cough***  
 **I'm going to add something extra you all will surely enjoy!**  
 **Toodles, see ya next time!**


	18. (PR) Chapter VIII: Firmly Determined

**_Another day, another update! :D  
Enjoy ;)_**

* * *

 _After "everything was set in place", as that voice said on the phone, Frisk returned to Asgore, who was waiting patiently for the human. "Now then, do you have any more unfinished business before we go on?" the king asked, seemingly distraught by what was going to happen next, and Frisk could only say, as he heard the echoes in the cavern, "No, Sir. Let us...proceed." as he steadied himself in front of the large monster._

\- I see...This is it then. Are you ready? _the king asked._  
\- Yes, _Frisk said, and in that moment, his SOUL glowed._  
\- Human..., it was nice to meet you. Goodbye, _said Asgore._

 _But just as Asgore was prepairing to attack, a fireball emerged at him from the darkness, hitting him in the shoulder, as he dropped the trident. Recollection flashed in Frisk's eyes, and his heart was now fully mending itself seeing the one monster he loved with all his heart - Toriel. "What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth...Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian." But just as she finished saying that, Frisk burst in tears, running towards her and hugging her legs. "You are my mother. You are Mama Tori for me!" and then, Toriel leveled to Frisk, returning the hug. "Child...you must've missed me dearly," she whispered softly into his ear, a soft smile forming on her muzzle. "At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone...but I could not stop worrying about you.", her smile turned into a frown, as she kept holding him._

\- Mama...I could not stop worrying about you either, _Frisk reciprocated her thoughts._  
\- Your adventure must've been so treacherous, _she looked at Frisk with concern._  
\- Yes, but I have a lot of friends. I have...a family..., _he said, sniffing a bit._  
\- And...I was afraid all this adventure would ultimately burden you with a horrible choice, _she continued._ To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person.  
\- And trust me, Mama, it's not a choice I want to ever take..., _Frisk said to her, as he kept holding on to her, as if afraid to lose her._  
\- You would've had to defeat Asgore. However...I realized I cannot allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here. Is not that what I have been trying to prevent the whole time? _  
_\- Yes, Mama, it is exactly how I feel. And yes...you are right, you were afraid to let me go. Because you wanted me safe. You didn't want me to get killed, _Frisk's eyes were tearing up, a smile forming on his face, that she realized MERCY is an option.  
_ \- For now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is...he deserves mercy too.

\- Tori, ...you came back, _the old king said, his eyes glimmering with hope seeing his love._

 _Toriel left Frisk from her embrace and turned towards the old king, with a stern frown on her face. Frisk wanted nothing else than having them as parents, to see them together again, but the stern look on his mother's face prevented him from making any ACT. He felt really sad for the king._

\- Do not "Tori" me, Dreemurr! You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind...You could've gone through the barrier after you got ONE SOUL..., taken six SOULs from the humans, then come back and free everyone peacefully.

 _In this whole time, Frisk's heart was breaking for the king. Asgore Dreemurr suffered a lot in her absence, and she was...just...badgering him on the spot. Although he loved them both equally, he couldn't help feeling that she was placing the entire blame on his shoulders. "It's not right, Mother...you had happy days, where are they gone? I wonder...if I would tell you the whole truth, would you forgive him?" Frisk's eyes were shifting from Asgore to Toriel, back and forth, as their dialogue unveiled._

\- But instead, _continued Toriel,_ you made everyone live in despair...because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes.  
\- Tori...You're right...I am a miserable creature..., but do you think we can...at least...be friends again? _said Asgore, finally, after all this judgemental lash at him, a hopeful glint in his eyes._  
\- NO, Asgore, _Toriel said with a frustrated sigh._

 _Frisk's heart broke into pieces..."Wow. Mama Tori outright refused him. He was trying to make amends! Why is she so blind..." however, Frisk concealed his worries by keeping a neutral expression. In that moment, Undyne barged in the throne room, trying to prevent the duel between Asgore and Frisk, "NGAAAAH! Asgore! Human! Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...I'll...!" and Toriel, visibly surprised seeing Undyne, presented herself. "Hello, I am Toriel. Are you the human's friend?" to which Undyne replied with a curtly yes, and figured - seeing Asgore's heartbreak - that Toriel was his ex-wife. "That's rough, buddy," she comforted the old king._  
 _Alphys dashed in the room as well, pleading the two not to fight one another. "Oh dear, is everyone going to go like this," Frisk thought on his behalf, and then Alphys was greeted by Toriel as well - to which the scientist was confused to see two goat monsters - but Frisk slowly chuckled. Then, he saw Papyrus bonetrousling his way in and ...going exactly the same. "WE'RE NOT EVEN FIGHTING, GUYS, WHAT THE HECK," Frisk was thinking with a snicker on his face, as he saw all of friends gathering around them. Finally, Sans came in, and in that moment, Toriel recognized his voice, and viceversa, but Frisk was looking at his father - and he was all shocked for life - the human already had enough of seeing the Dreemurrs suffer, but he was happy that finally Sans and Toriel were acquainted with one another. And Toriel finally met Papyrus, as Sans was telling her much about his brother, while they were sharing jokes through the door of the Ruins - and then, Toriel said the joke about the shingles, prompting a hearty laughter from Frisk and a huge grin from Sans, but for Papyrus,..."THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!" the tall skeleton said.  
Undyne, in the back, kept encouraging Asgore that he can find someone else to love - but Frisk knew that this wasn't going to go for the old king, and neither for himself, because he cared for both Toriel and Asgore -, and Alphys joined in on the encouragement boat, but it quickly turned into another romantic dialogue between Undyne and Alphys.  
Mettaton, in the background, held out a leg, and simply urged the two women to act on their feelings, "*WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY? THE AUDIENCE IS DYING FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!*" and Frisk muffled a laughter as the pesky robot did that._

\- HEY, SHUT UP! _Undyne yelled at the robot, only to calm down for a second later._ Man, the nerve of that guy, right Alphys?...Alphys?  
\- No. He's right. LET'S DO IT, _Alphys said, a glimmer of passion shining in her eyes, and Undyne was pretty much likewise._  
\- Well...I guess?! If...you want to?! Then...don't hold anything back!

 _But just as they were about to kiss, Toriel interrupted them. "W-wait! Not in front of the human!", to which Frisk smiled gently towards Toriel. "Uh, right...sorry, I got a little carried away there," Alphys excused herself towards the human. But he was still smiling, seeing his friends around, though his heart was still aching for Toriel and Asgore's situation._

\- My child...it seems as if you must stay here for a while, _Toriel said towards Frisk._ But looking at all the great friends you have made...I think...I think you'll be happy here.  
\- H-hey, that reminds me, _mused Alphys._ Papyrus, YOU called everyone here, right? Well...besides, uh, her. Anyway, if I got here before you...How did you know how to call everybody?  
\- LET'S JUST SAY...A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME.  
\- A-a tiny flower...?

 _Frisk's thought immediately snapped, "Flowey, of course, as always.", but then he saw a huge vine entangling his friends, and Frisk's brows furrowed in anger._

\- You IDIOTS. While you guys were having your little pow-wow...I took the human SOULs, _he said with an evil grin._ And now, not only are THOSE under my power...but all of your FRIENDS'S SOULS are gonna be mine, too!  
\- You bastard..., _Frisk was muttering under his breath, his anger rising in his veins, along with DETERMINATION._  
\- Hee hee hee. And you know what the best part is? It's all your fault, _Flowey said, with a mischievous grin._  
\- Really? How is any of this my fault? _Frisk snickered, his brows still furrowed with anger._  
\- It's all because you MADE THEM love you. All the time you spent listening to them...encouraging them...caring about them...without that, they wouldn't have come here.  
\- I'd rather die than see you harming them in any way, _Frisk's voice bellowed, as his eyes were glinting with more DETERMINATION._  
\- And now, with their souls and the humans' together...I will achieve my REAL FORM.  
\- You're really sick, Flowey, and what you do now, is really preventing me from being a Pacifist anymore, _Frisk said, anger still bellowing in his voice._ Why the hell you still do this anyway?  
\- Why? Don't you get it? This is all just a GAME. If you leave the underground satisfied, you'll "win" the game.  
\- So? What's your point? _Frisk's eyes glimmered with anger and DETERMINATION alike, as he asked that._  
\- If you "win", you wouldn't want to "play" with me anymore.  
\- So? I want them to be happy. Together. They are my hope. They are my salvation. They represent the love I gained throughout my journey. Why would you kidnap all this from them just for your sick game? _Frisk's fists were clenched as he said that._  
\- And what would I do then? But this game between us will NEVER end! Flowey said with his evil grin. I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach...and then tear it away just before you grasp it...Over and over and over..., _Flowey continued with a scary grin._  
\- Do you still think your ACT scares me? _bellowed Frisk._ Free my friends, you sick flower, _the child grit his teeth._  
\- Listen. If you DO defeat me, I will give you your "happy ending". I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied.  
\- Really? I don't think you'd do that, somehow, _Frisk said._  
\- You're right...that WON'T happen! You! I'll keep you here, no matter what! _the sick flower grinned._

 _Frisk's SOUL was now hovering in front of him, pulled in a FIGHT. He couldn't move, and he stood helpless as a ring of bullets were heading towards him. He prayed to heavens above that his friends could help him somehow..._

\- Even if it means killing you 1,000,000 times! _yelled Flowey, as he launched his ring of bullets, over and over._

 _Frisk's HP was at 1, and he was almost on the verge of collapsing. Just as the flower was aiming for the final blow, a ring of fire appeared in front of Frisk, covering him, enveloping him in a protective grace, nullifying the bullets. He knew it was Toriel's shield of fire, and the flower was flabbergasted at the defense Frisk got. "What?"_

\- Do not be afraid, my child...no matter what happens...We will always be here to protect you! _Toriel could say towards Frisk, as she was weakened by the grip of Flowey's vines._

 _Her encouragement helped Frisk slowly regain strength, and then Papyrus and Undyne protected Frisk from new attacks, summoning a wall of bones, and spears, respectively. Both encouraged Frisk, Papyrus saying "THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO...BELIEVE IN YOU!" and then Undyne said "Hey! Human! If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING! So, don't worry, we're with you all the way!", and with that, he slowly regained health, until 4 HP. Sans then joined the encouragement boat, "huh? you haven't beaten this guy yet? come on, this weirdo's got nothing on you.", but Flowey attacked again, only to be blocked by a wall of fire and a whirl of electricity, which Frisk mused correctly it was the defense pulled by Asgore alongside Alphys. "Technically, it is impossible for you to beat him...b-but somehow, I-I know you can do it," the lizard scientist said towards Frisk. The last one to speak was Asgore, who promptly encouraged Frisk to stay determined. Soon enough, all the monsters Frisk befriended came along to assist him, and everyone cheered for the human, making Frisk regain his confidence, his DETERMINATION, but his anger hadn't diminished in the slightest towards the critter that was holding his family and friends captive._

-Urrrghh, NO! Unbelievable! This can't be happening! _yelled Flowey seeing everyone around Frisk, cheering for him._ You...YOU...!

 _Time suddenly stopped, and all Flowey could utter was..."I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ALL SO STUPID, ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!" as he was grinning and laughing madly. A flash of light blinded Frisk, and in front of him stood the goat child, Asriel. "Finally. I was so tired of being a flower," the small goat child uttered, with his back still turned on Frisk. The only thought that ran through Frisk's head was "Asriel...was Flowey? The whole time? Well shit...now it makes all my anger pointless. Still, that doesn't excuse what he did as Flowey." The human child exhaled, and looked back at Asriel with a rather calm demeanour._

\- Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend...ASRIEL DREEMURR.

 _From the monent he saw the goat child becoming a slightly teenaged monster, with a black Delta-runed robe on him, Frisk knew his MERCY, and ACTS, will be used at full saturation. However, he didn't get this far just to give up, right? He was DETERMINED to do what was right...and so he pressed on with ACTing...He kept hoping that he will not be hurt so badly, and he dreamt of why he was here in the first place._

\- You know...I don't care about destroying this world anymore, _Asriel said, cynically._  
\- Then what do you care about? _asked Frisk._  
\- After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline...I just want to reset everything, _Asriel continued, as he summoned his Chaos Sabers._  
\- Why would you do such a thing? _the human child asked._  
\- All your progress, everyone's memories...I'll bring them all back to zero!  
\- NO, _yelled Frisk._ If there's something I want to prevent from happening, it's this! _the human child bellowed as his eyes glinting with DETERMINATION, avoiding every attack and holding onto his hopes._  
\- Then we can do everything ALL over again, _Asriel said towards Frisk._  
\- I don't want any of this to happen, _Frisk said, furrowing his brows in the anger that engulfed him earlier, avoiding Asriel's attacks._

 _Frisk kept holding on, avoiding all the arrays of stars shot at him, and carefully dodging the zapping lightning strickes - even though those were zinging his clothes more, and the stars were creating new cuts on his face and arms, as he protected himself._

\- And you know what the best part of all this is? You'll DO it.  
\- Do I have to repeat myself, _Frisk gritted through his teeth._ I will not RESET. They deserve a happy ending! _he bellowed at Asriel._  
\- And then you'll lose to me again, _Asriel said, in the same cynic voice as of now._ And again. And again!  
\- And what good does that serve? I will keep offering MERCY. Because... _Frisk said, even though he gritted his teeth, trying to control the anger threatening to fully engulf him._  
\- Because you want a "happy ending." _Asriel said as he attacked again._  
\- Yes, I want a happy ending for all of them, _Frisk gritted, as he held onto himself, his wounds were hurting._

 _But DETERMINATION kept him steady, and anger kept him on ignoring the pain he was really in. He was prepairing to dodge Asriel's next attack and held onto his hopes._

\- Because you "love your friends." _Asriel continued._  
\- Yes, I love them with all my heart. And I want to see them safe! _the child bellowed as he avoided another array of stars at him, that were cutting in places it already hurt._  
\- Because you "never give up." _Asriel cynically kept speaking._  
\- Yes. I will NEVER give up on seeing them safe. I will NEVER give up on doing the right thing, _Frisk said as his eyes were glinting with a mix of anger and DETERMINATION._  
\- Isn't that delicious? Your determination...the power that let you get this far...It's gonna be your downfall! _Asriel roared as he prepaired another set of lightning strikes._

 _Frisk avoided them with difficulty, and he often had to parry against Asriel's Chaos Sabers. He hurt in every place possible, and yet...his anger, his DETERMINATION, his hopes, were still inside him, were urging him to stay alive. To defeat the young monster, to bring a sense of stability, and a sense of reason within Asriel._

\- Now. ENOUGH messing around...it is time to purge this timeline once and for all! _Asriel said as he readied the most powerful attack he had, "Hyper Goner."_

 _But Frisk was still standing, at 1 HP, facing Asriel. He was hurting all over. He wasn't going to give up._

\- ... even after that attack, you're still standing in my way? _Asriel said, raising an eyebrow._ Wow...you really ARE something special.  
\- I'm the human who'll show you MERCY, even though you attempted to take the SOULs of my friends, _Frisk gritted, as he stood at 1 HP._  
\- Nuh-uh, don't get cocky. Up until now, I've been using only a fraction of my REAL power! _Asriel said._

 _"Shit. Either way, I'm almost exhausted...I must...not give up. For Mama Tori and Papa Gorey. For Papyrus. For Sans. For Undyne and Alphys...they deserve the happy ending they so hard fought for...I love you all..." Frisk thought as he exhaled heavily, his wounds tearing him in a whirlwind of pain._

\- Let's see what good is your DETERMINATION against THIS! _bellowed Asriel, as he transformed into the beast that Frisk saw in the illustrations..._

 _He saw the way Asriel looked, and, for some odd reason, he felt that the form he was in resembled the Delta Rune..."Wait...he's the Angel of Life?" was all that the child could think of. "N-no...it's just the form, right? He can't be..." he muttered under his breath as he tried to struggle._

\- Urahahah...behold my TRUE power!

 _Frisk couldn't resist at this attack, and he died in front of Asriel, but the SOUL reformed itself through DETERMINATION, which pressed Frisk on. The child struggled again, but nothing really happened._

\- I can feel it...Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more.  
\- This...ain't...going...to ha...happen, _Frisk said, his voice a tad hoarse after the reforming of his SOUL._ They...l-love...me...and they...will not...forget, _he said, his voice almost a whisper._  
\- Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you...  
\- I...w...will fight...through...MERCY...and I...will...s-stay...DETERMINED! _Frisk managed to let out a roar of anger, as his eyes began glinting again with DETERMINATION._

 _Asriel's attacks seemed futile for Frisk, as he managed to dodge a few...and the few he didn't zinged him a bit. This time it didn't hurt, however, and again he struggled to release from Asriel's formidable grip._

\- Still...you're hanging on? That's fine...In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too.  
\- That...ain't gonna happen! _Frisk managed to say, his courage returning, slowly._  
\- That attitude will serve you well in your next life! _Asriel bellowed, with fury._  
\- I'M. NOT. GIVING. UP., _Frisk said, gritting through his teeth as he tried to dodge new attacks, but ended up getting killed a second time._

 _The SOUL reformed again, and Frisk's demeanour changed, from the trembling child to a furious warrior of justice. "I...I will NOT. GIVE UP. I made a promise...and I'm going to respect it fully. I don't care what you are. You're not letting me giving you my MERCY."_

\- Urahaha, _Asriel laughed._ Still?! Come on! Show me what good is your DETERMINATION now!  
\- It still serves, and I will struggle until I manage to escape. And somehow save my friends! _Frisk said, still DETERMINED._

 _Frisk started struggling more, as he tried to reach to his SAVE file once. He tried reaching his SAVE again, but nothing happened. "Shit. This could only mean one thing...that I'm at my last fraction of power. It means I must SAVE my friends. They are my main task at hand now, and not Asriel." Frisk thought in the darkness that enveloped him, as a new prompt showed in front, glimmering as twilight. "SAVE."_

* * *

 _As Frisk regained his senses, his strength, his DETERMINATION, his love back, he exhaled deeply before pressing the new prompt in front of him. "SAVE...", but it was already obvious who Frisk wanted to save first. "Toriel! Asgore!" he bellowed as he called out towards the two monsters he regarded as his parents. Something was resonating within Asriel's SOUL... and before him stood Toriel and Asgore, their faces glitched._

 _Frisk knew what he had to do...he hugged Toriel lovingly, reassuring her that he will return to her. Something about that, resounded within her, as a Lost Soul, but it wasn't enough to bring back the memories, because they both attacked with their signature fire magic at Frisk, zinging him in the process. The child took it all in tow, knowing that he must keep up ACTing towards them. He then hugged Asgore, who showed no tensing while Frisk did that, but this ACT was not enough to bring them back. They attacked once more, and their words were seemingly telling just what they saw, in the negative way of things. Frisk avoided their attacks with ease, and then ACTed again towards Toriel, telling her he refuses to fight his mother, and that brought another prompt of familiarity within their souls. Another wave of attacks, and Frisk was pondering what more could he do to bring them back. He again ACTed towards his mother, telling_ _ _Toriel he truly prefers butterscotch over cinnamon. It was ringing with familiarity, but still not enough._ Searching through his pockets, he discovered that he still had the Butterscotch Pie - albeit now it was rather cold to eat - but as he munched on it, the scent of the pie brought the memories back for both of them. "Mama, Papa!" Frisk said with joy, as he embraced them in turns. "Your fate is up to you now! /You are our future!" the two monsters said towards Frisk, who smiled in relief his parents were safe._

 _Now...he had to save his friends. "Papyrus! Sans!" Frisk bellowed as he called out to the two skeleton brothers he regarded as friends. The same resonation called out from Asriel's soul, and Frisk was now facing Papyrus and Sans, their faces glitched, too._

 _This time, things were easier. He ACTed towards Sans first, making a really bad pun about skeletons. The Lost Soul of Sans felt the ringing familiarity of that pun...and the other Lost Soul, that was Papyrus, felt the disgust he held towards such puns. They attacked with their signature blue attack, Frisk feeling gravity pressuring him for real, as he avoided arrays of bones launched at him, a few cut in places where Frisk already hurt. "No time to dawdle on old wounds," the child was thinking, as he turned towards the Lost Soul of Papyrus, and ACTed by asking him to help with a puzzle. That made the Lost Soul really eager to cooperate with Frisk, but...it still wasn't enough to make them remember the child, because they again attacked, gravity felt heavier on Frisk's shoulders. He then ACTed again towards Sans, telling the small skeleton that he will think about what he's done - in that moment, Sans and Papyrus regained their memories. "NO WAIT! YOU'RE MY FRIEND! I COULD NEVER CAPTURE YOU! / nah, i'm rootin' for ya, kid.", they said, and Frisk retorted "I'm rootin' for you two," to which Sans grinned._

 _There was still Undyne, and Alphys. He decided to pick Alphys first, out of knowing how shy she was at start - and that she'd be a little difficult to SAVE. She was in her black dress, and Frisk couldn't help nosebleed. "Argh, this is not the time!" he thought as he focused at the task of hand. He encouraged Alphys, telling her that he will support her, making her SOUL resonate with familiarity, but it wasn't enough to regain her memories. She then attacked with small Mettatons with umbrellas, as Frisk tried his best to defend himself in yellow SOUL mode. He then ACTed again, asking her a quiz question - out of his knowledge of monsters -, and she could barely hold herself from replying, a thing also familiar for her SOUL. However, she kept attacking with bombs, that were now easily to avoid, thanks to Mettaton's practice. It meant that it still wasn't enough to bring back her memories. He ACTed again, and just as he asked her what was her favorite anime, Alphys' memories came back! "No, that's not true! My friends like me! And I like you, too!", to which Frisk replied, smiling, "I like you too, Alphys!"_

 _Undyne was the last one on his list to SAVE. He knew he could make her remember him easily. He started clashing against her with all his might, and she felt the fighting spirit within Frisk. His ACT felt familiar, but he had to defend himself in the green SOUL mode, learning more than ever to face danger head-on, as she sent spears in his way. A few cut through places it already hurt, but Frisk gritted his teeth. He ACTed again towards her, tapping her lightly, as he did in their fake encounter. This gesture was familiar to the Lost Soul of Undyne as well. But she kept on attacking Frisk, and he had to defend once more - this time the spears were hurled faster - and he gained a new cut on his cheek as one zapped right close to his face. His last possibility of ACTing was to ask her about cooking, and just as he did that, Undyne's memories came back! "Well, some humans are OK, I guess!", to which Frisk said "Yes, they are," with a small smile on his face._

* * *

 _His family and friends were safe now, from the harbinger of death. However, Frisk's SOUL began pulsing with DETERMINATION, making him feel that someone else needed to be saved too. "Who else needs to be SAVED? I rescued Toriel, King Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys..." As he was relinquishing his family and friends' names, realisation dawned on him. "Asriel must be saved from what he has become.", and Frisk began calling to Asriel. "Asriel Dreemurr!"_

\- Huh?! What are you doing?! _the god-like monster was asking, recollection flashing in his eyes._

 _A series of memories were flashing before Frisk and Asriel's eyes..., the memory that Frisk's SOUL shared. The memory of when Chara and Asriel first met._

\- Asriel Dreemurr, let me SAVE you, _Frisk bellowed._  
\- Wh...what did you do? What's this feeling? What's happening to me?...  
\- What you feel, is love, compassion, and hope, Asriel. Trust me, take my hand, let me SAVE you! _said Frisk as he extended his left hand towards Asriel._  
\- No! NO! I don't need ANYONE! _Asriel roared._  
\- Asriel Dreemurr, let me be your friend, _Frisk continued, his voice a plea._  
\- STOP IT! Get away from me! _Asriel said furiously._  
\- No, LET ME SAVE YOU, _Frisk said, his eyes almost tearing up._  
\- Do you hear me?! I'll tear you apart! _Asriel said as he started attacking Frisk._  
\- Asriel Dreemurr...Please, give up on this fight, _Frisk said once more._  
\- Chara...do you know why I'm doing this? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?  
\- Asriel Dreemurr...you don't have to fight anymore, _Frisk kept pleading._  
\- I'm doing this...because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one who's fun to play with anymore...  
\- Asriel Dreemurr...stop this fight. It's enough, _Frisk sternly said._  
\- No...that's not JUST it. I..I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!  
\- Asriel Dreemurr...if you care, why don't you end this? _Frisk asked, a bit confused._  
\- I'm not ready for this to end, Asriel said, silently. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again...  
\- Asriel Dreemurr...stop all this... _Frisk said._  
\- PLEASE...JUST STOP THIS...AND LET ME WIN! _Asriel bellowed as he shot a huge ray towards Frisk, who stood there bravely, his HP well low beyond any limit._

 _"Asriel Dreemur...it is enough.", Frisk said as he kept himself up, hurting worse than ever. But Asriel was now crying his lost sibling..."Chara...I'm so alone, Chara...I'm so afraid, Chara...Chara...I...I..."_

\- I'm so sorry, _Asriel said, in his original form._  
\- No need to be sorry, Asriel Dreemurr, _Frisk said._  
\- I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara? _Asriel said._  
\- I'm not...your lost sibling, _Frisk began._ Your sibling is gone.  
\- ...I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? _Asriel said, as he looked at the human before him better._  
\- No, _Frisk said._  
\- Chara has been gone for a long time... _Asriel sniffed a bit._ But...what...what IS your name?  
\- My name is Frisk, _said the human child._  
\- That's a really nice name, _Asriel complimented._  
\- Frisk..I haven't felt like this in a long time, _the goat child began saying._  
\- I understand, it's hard to take everything in tow, right? _the human child replied, smiling._  
\- As a flower, I was soulless, _Asriel continued, almost sad and ashamed of what he did as Flowey._  
\- I...must admit...I was this...this close to kill you, _Frisk said as he held out two fingers closer, signifying one's limit of patience._  
\- I lacked the power to love other people, you must understand, Frisk, _the goat child said, almost scared._ But...with everyone's souls inside me...I not only have my own compassion back...but I can feel every other monster's as well.  
\- This must be a really deep bond you've formed with them right now, _Frisk smiled._  
\- They all care about each other so much...and they care about you too, Frisk. I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you...Papyrus...Sans...Undyne...Alphys...Toriel.  
\- In some ways...I...know their love for me, _Frisk said._ And ...I bet it's all good words for me, good feelings, _the human child smiled._  
\- Even though they barely know you...it feels like they all really love you. Frisk...I..I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you, I hurt so many people - friends, family, bystanders - there's no excuse for what I've done.  
\- Listen, Asriel. I'm about to piece up a really huge story, that I want to share with...the others. And I know one thing - what happened to you was a terrible accident, both the war thing, and the flower thing. So I'm forgiving you for your actions as Flowey. Seriously, Flowey is you, but...a lot less nice than you really ARE. And..there's a larger story to this, but I can't really bring it up now.  
\- Wh-what? ...Frisk...come on, how can you forgive me so easily?

* * *

 _Just as the two were about to reconcile on some terms, in the veil of darkness, a loud voice bellowed._ _ **"ASRIEL DREEMURR! YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN!"**_


	19. (PR) Chapter IX: An Archangel's Justice

**I assume you all will ask. "Why Archangel? Frisk's just a Human, and Asriel is the Angel of Life. So what's the point of the title?"  
Well...in my opinion, while Asriel is the only one capable to break the barrier, Frisk is the only one who can really - and ultimately - hold against Chara.**

 **Finally. I've been waiting to offer the best ending possible for this story.  
I'm sorry for people who thought that I would let Chara live. In my view, she did too much harm to just get away with it.  
**

A small note. During the fight between Frisk and Chara, Frisk's dialogue will be underlined, _Asriel's dialogue will be like this_ , and **Chara's dialogue is the usual.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **"ASRIEL DREEMURR! YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN!"** an echo roared in the darkness, an all familiar voice to both children. It was Chara. She finally found a diabolic way to manifest herself in this realm, after countless attempts at possessing this timeline's Frisk - she used the power that she gained from the other Genocide Frisks that went all over with the route - but there was one exception. She failed to fully possess the last Genocide Frisk, and her power wasn't fully developed yet, but it was enough to erase the two children that were existing in this plane of reality - Frisk and Asriel._  
 _Frisk knew the final hour of this journey was at hand, and that he was the only one who could really, really stand against this demon child. However, this time he had everyone around him, albeit they were all encompassed within Asriel's SOUL. As he exhaled heavily, feeling the burden on his shoulders, the human child left his SOUL hovering in front, calling out to the six human SOULs that were inside Asriel's. He was calling desperately for aid, as he clasped his palms in a prayer, pleading that they forgive the goat child for what he'd done, arguing that their power was needed in this darkest hour._

 _In that moment, a wave of light manifested itself around the children. The dampening echoes of the darkness ceased, and Asriel looked dumbfounded towards Frisk. The human child was just as puzzled, until they both heard soft voices whispering to them. "Frisk. You finally arrived. You finally found the power within yourself." and slowly, but steadily, six ghost-like appearances hovered in front of them, forming a circle. Frisk felt an enveloping familiarity seeing the six ghost children in front of him, and he figured those must've been the first six SOULs that were collected by Asgore in his desperate attempt at freeing monsterkind from the Barrier. "Yes, Frisk, we are indeed who you think we are," said one of the children, who held his Cowboy Hat that covered a bit of his black hair, as his blue eyes were shining with some determination of their own, and touched the Empty Gun that was in his holster. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Tyler, and I'm the SOUL of **Justice**. I can obviously see in your eyes the anger and DETERMINATION that pushes you to break your limits. However, I'm not alone, as you can see. Alongside me, are the SOULS of **Patience, Bravery, Integrity, Perseverance and Kindness.** Guys - and girls -, please, let them know our names."_

 _The one to make a step forward was the SOUL of Bravery. "Hello, Frisk! My name is Richard, and I'm the SOUL of **Bravery** ," he said as he held up his Tough Glove and adjusted the Manly Bandanna that held in place a rather rebellious blonde hair. "I have seen your fights, and you're certainly real cool at holding on!" Richard smiled. Frisk could only smile back and wait for the others to introduce themselves._

 _After Richard, came the SOUL of **Kindness,** who was a small boy with brown hair and green eyes, wearing his now white chef apron and a pan in his right hand. "I am Albert, and I'm the SOUL of Kindness. I am really proud of the generosity that you upheld in your journey, and how you helped everyone around," the boy smiled._

 _As she gently pushed Albert, a young girl, wearing a beautiful pink tutu and ballet shoes, danced slowly towards Frisk, as she spoke. Her hair was black and her eyes were brown, shining with some determination, as well. "Hey, Frisk. I'm Valeria, and I'm the SOUL of **Integrity.** You certainly have some skills as a dancer. And you're also holding up your principle of mercy, I admire such things." she said as she smiled towards the DETERMINED Frisk._

 _It was the turn of the SOUL of **Patience** to speak. She held out a Toy Knife in her left hand and a Ribbon in her beautiful red hair. Her eyes were blue as well, but determination wasn't as present as in the souls of Justice and Integrity. "My name, is Mikaela. You can call me Miki, though. You showed that you were patient enough throughout the entire journey, and you never rushed to reach your final goal." Frisk shuddered a bit as he saw the knife in her hand, because it reminded him of Genocide Frisk, and the last soul sensed that stronger than the others did._

 _"Frisk Hunt. Or should I say...Frisk Dreemurr?" the SOUL of **Perseverance** smiled gently as Frisk flinched at his name associated with the Dreemurrs. "Hey. Don't worry. I know how much you love Toriel. We all do. Even Asriel here, " she said as she motioned towards the goat child who silently stood there, awaiting his turn to speak. "I'm Lia. And as you might've guessed," she said as she adjusted her Glasses and held tightly her Notebook, allowing Frisk to see that behind the glasses, her eyes were brown, and her hair was a rebellious blonde like Richard's. "I am the SOUL of **Perseverance.** And as of now, I'm the leader of the others. There's much that you know, and so little that you don't. I assume, by now, you understood the full story of the events that went down here?"_

 _Frisk exhaled deeply. "Yes, I did. Chara's machinations were and are still present. And there's no way she can get any MERCY, as much as I hate the idea of fighting. She planned her sickness, she corrupted Asriel's mind-", and as Asriel heard that about his sibling, he broke down in tears, as he sat down, holding his knees, his floppy ears covering his face a bit. "You mean...she used me? Frisk...I have to...say something. When we went down the barrier and towards the village of humans...the control over my body was split between us. She was the one who picked her own empty body." Frisk gently placed a hand on Asriel's shoulders, as the goat child sobbed. "I now know the final piece that was missing in the story I formed in my head. For some time, I knew she held some control over you, but I wasn't fully aware of its' extent. To answer your well-put question, Asriel, yes, she took advantage of everything you and your family offered her. She hurt Toriel and Asgore," and as Frisk relinquished the name of the two monsters he thought of as his parents, his brows furrowed in anger at how Chara inflicted the gravest of wounds on the two. "She willingly put you in death's harm.", his anger was now glinting in his eyes, and the six children noted the righteous fury in Frisk's veins. Lia interrupted Frisk with a gentle tap. "Frisk. We can all feel the righteous fury, but let us talk now. It is important that both you and Asriel know your role in this final battle."  
_  
\- Very well, I'm all eyes and ears on you, _Frisk said._

\- Asriel, _Lia spoke as she looked at Asriel through her shining glasses,_ you shouldn't be spilling tears for someone like Chara.

\- Yeah, Asriel, she used you. What kind of sibling does this to their brother? _Tyler said, anger glinting in his ghost-like eyes, clenching his fists, but Miki placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.  
_  
\- Tyler here, as angry as he is, has a point, Asriel. _Miki then said._ None of us wanted to see you suffer, as much as we hate your negative self, Flowey.

\- I did some inexcusable acts as Flowey, _the goat child retorted, his sobs slowly stopping as Frisk kept his hand on the monster child's shoulder.  
_  
\- That still doesn't mean you can't be forgiven, _Frisk said softly._ I'm afraid your sibling is past the point of forgiveness, however, _the DETERMINED child said as a mix of fury and internal fire glinted in his eyes.  
_  
\- You...you really won't spare her? _Asriel asked, as he still thought - much like Papyrus on the Genocide Route - that Chara could be saved.  
_  
\- While Genocide Frisk taught me fighting is not an option, I know he wouldn't have forgiven Chara for what she did to him. What she put him through, _Pacifist Frisk said, as his aura of fiery rage glowed around him.  
_  
\- Frisk here has a point, Asriel, _Valeria said._ While I appreciate how Frisk kept up his principle of sparing everyone in his path, he promised Chara that he will execute her himself, and I know Frisk would uphold that, just for this time only.

\- Chara abused Frisk's kindness enough, _Albert then said._ Asriel, she abused your kindness as well, _the soul of Kindness said as he looked towards the silent goat child._ While I get it you'd want to save her, she's really-really past the point of any salvation, or forgiveness.

\- I feel it's all my fault she become this way-, _Asriel began saying, but was swiftly cut off by Frisk.  
_  
\- No. She was, since the beginning, nothing but a sick child hellbent on killing. She tentatively seduced you all in thinking she's 'your true hope' at saving monsterkind, _Frisk's fiery rage enveloped him as he looked like some sort of an Archangel._ You are not at fault for anything, Asriel. Your actions as Flowey were like that because in that form, you had no SOUL. You didn't ask to be brought back to life. You were an experiment for Alphys' researches, and I can't truly blame her for this mishap - she was trying to figure out a solution for monsterkind.

\- If only I was a better sibling to her, to make her...adjust better to the life with us..., _Asriel kept saying, standing tall, wiping his eyes and muzzle, as everything came crashing down on him, the reality of his sibling's evil was finally revealed.  
_  
\- No, Asriel, _retorted Albert._ You were kind enough with her and she just tossed that away.

\- Yeah, Asriel, you were patient with her all the time, and she just threw it away, _Miki said.  
_  
\- You did justice by being as close to her as you could, but she didn't care, _Tyler added.  
_  
\- You held integrity each time you kept up the thought she'd be your best friend, _Valeria said, as her eyes showed a glint of determination._

\- You had the courage to go on through with everything...as it was, _Richard said, hoisting his fist in the air.  
_  
\- See, Asriel? _Frisk added, as he hugged the small goat child._ You were the best sibling she could ever have, and her DETERMINATION was only to bring hell loose. So, please, stop with the self-blame.

\- But what about you? a _sked Asriel as he looked at the six children before him._ It's my fault you guys died. If...my father didn't enforce that policy of killing the humans after my death, _the goat child said as he broke down in tears once more, and this time, Valeria and Frisk were softly tending to him.  
_  
\- Listen up, Asriel, _Tyler said._ It's really NOT your fault we died. We're not judging the monsters who killed us and brought our SOULS to your father, Asgore Dreemurr. They were just acting on orders, and that was all.

\- Asriel, it doesn't make any sense for you to take the fall for Chara's own sins. She ran away from these for too long, and this time, we have an Archangel to truly make her pay, _Lia said as she pointed towards Frisk, whose aura grew moment by moment._

 _With that, Asriel slowly rose up, thanked Valeria and Frisk for their soft encouragement. "Is this what I was doing?..." the monster child thought. "I was taking responsability over sins that weren't mine. Except...what I did as Flowey. That's inexcusable, and even Frisk was close to killing me in his rage, that I can see growing moment by moment as he has a heavy burden on his shoulders." He then hugged Frisk, who returned the gentle hug. "Asriel. I know you still believe she can be saved. But it is foolish, right now, to believe this anymore." Frisk said as he held Asriel's paw, as the human child's eyes were fiery. "It's time that we enhance both of you a bit," Lia commented. "Asriel. Your duty is to watch over Frisk. Do not involve yourself in the battle unless it's really necessary. Let Frisk do the fighting, as I can see the swift retribution in his eyes, and how eager he is to exact all his righteous fury upon Chara. After all this is done, we will help you break the barrier.", and then Lia turned towards Frisk. "You. You are the Archangel. You are the one destined to save the monsters. Do not hold anything back, no matter how hard you walked around MERCYing everyone. We all know she's past any chance of redemption."  
The six children touched, in turns, Asriel and Frisk's shoulders, while Valeria softly whispered to Frisk, "Do not worry about the monsters' SOULS. They will be watching from the sidelines as you fight. With our enhancement, they will appear behind you, allowing you all to have a small reunion, before the Devil itself will arrive. They will not be harmed, as your love will be enough, with ours in line, to create an impenetrable shield around them during the battle. And I can say by now Toriel's heart will shatter a bit seeing you fight, and she might faint as she sees Asriel alive." Frisk's smile was half happy, half broken, but he was finally able to let everyone see just how evil Chara was.  
_

* * *

 _The two began glowing from the combined touches of the six children, and they were enveloped in a brilliant twilight, as they slowly transformed. Asriel was wearing his Delta Rune robes, although now they were an azure blue like the sky, his Heart Locket was shining gold as in the day he first had it, and his entire being felt energized with new powers. His fire magic was skyrocketed, allowing him better attacks and better defenses that before, and a major control over it. His Shocker Breaker was now stronger, as a single zap was enough to form waves of electricity, and his Chaos Sabers became Twilight Sabers, their blade shining mightier and was ultimately unbreakable, made of pure adamantium. Although he didn't originally have a SOUL, the combined energy of the six children formed for him a Rainbow SOUL that allowed him to stay alive, thus erasing any possibility for him to turn back into Flowey. Frisk could only smile at the powerful Asriel Dreemurr that stood before him, thanking in secret the children for offering Asriel a SOUL that became his own._

 _Frisk transformed too, as over his clothes, shone a white Delta Rune robe, the Rune was orange like the fire growing in Frisk's heart. In his left hand, the Worn Dagger became a Trident of Light, that Frisk could manouver with ease. He smiled as the trident resembled the one his father was wielding, and on his head, appeared a shining crown, like that of a prince. The crown itself had seven gems bearing the SOULS' colours, the Red one was in the front. An aura of fire surrounded Frisk, allowing him to wield magic as well, and he couldn't be more pleased that he finally could use his innate powers better. His eyes were glimmering with DETERMINATION, as he twirled the trident, forming a howling current that made the robes of the two flutter. "This time, I'm no longer afraid, no longer alone," Frisk thought as he smiled towards Asriel. "Valeria, it is time for the reunion," the human child bellowed towards the SOUL of Integrity._

 _Another flash of light occured, and before the two stood their family and friends. All of them looked shockingly towards the two children's transformation, and both Asgore and Toriel gasped seeing Frisk wearing with pride a Delta Runed robe. Undyne could only widen her eyes in surprise at Frisk's general appearance, resembling a warrior with no equal at all. Sans grinned from one end to the other of his skull, proud to see Frisk in such an attire, and so DETERMINED to end the Genocide Route forever. But Asgore and Toriel were in for another surprise, as they slowly, but surely, recognized their lost child, Asriel - and Valeria was right, Toriel couldn't bear the emotions more, and fainted in Asgore's strong arms. "Asriel, you are alive!" his father said, surprise and happiness in his voice as he looked at Asriel. "Frisk here saved me. He is going to save us all from everything," Asriel said as he smiled towards Frisk._

 _The human child, worried for Toriel's state, gently approached Asgore and he took Toriel's right paw in his left hand, leaning closer. "Mama...come back to me," Frisk whispered in her ear. "Mama, you have to regain your strength. He's back. We're all alright. Your suffering, your loneliness, your fear, they're all gone." and with that, Toriel slowly opened her eyes, seeing Frisk and Asgore's faces above her. "Child...Frisk..." she mused towards him with a weak smile, "you...you surpassed all my expectations." and then she thanked Asgore for his support, as the old king helped her get back on her feet. Frisk, relieved she was okay, asked Asriel to hug his parents. "Come on, Asriel! They've missed you for so long," the human child said as he smiled patiently. "We still have some time before Chara comes here." but just as Frisk told the name of the first human child, Toriel was shaking a bit in Asgore's arms. The king, however, kept her steady - he knew that Chara was behind everything, thanks to Geno Frisk - so he wasn't really surprised to hear his two sons were about to battle his former daughter. Asriel, with a lot of embarassment and sadness in his eyes, walked towards Toriel and Asgore. "Mom..." he said towards Toriel, and she just hugged him so tight it was about to leave the goat child without air. "Mom...I'm okay," the goat child blushed. He then turned towards Asgore, "Dad..." to which the king softly placed his paws over his son's shoulders. "You are going to be alright. Stay strong, Asriel."_

 _Alphys hugged Frisk, thanking him for everything he'd done, but the human child simply returned the hug, while whispering in the lizard's ear, "It's all for the best. You're no longer alone. And I know your Genocide self is watching what is unfolding right now, through Sans's powers." Since Frisk attained such a level of magic and confidence, and warrior-like justice, he was able to see beyond timelines, with better judgement, and Alphys simply nodded and returned next to Undyne. The warrior fish complimented Frisk's attire, "you know, even if anime isn't real, you're pretty much reminding me of the characters' in Alphys' animes wearing this outfit.", to which Frisk softly chuckled. "Thanks, Undyne. And now, the six human children. Guys. Show yourself before them," Frisk bellowed._

 _As soon as Frisk's voice said that, everyone saw the six children profiling before them. First to show himself was again Tyler. "I'm Tyler, SOUL of Justice", said Tyler as he held up his Cowboy Hat. Richard came after, adjusting his Bandanna, "Richard, SOUL of Bravery", "Albert, SOUL of Kindness", said Albert as he took off his chef toque, "Valeria, SOUL of Integrity," said she as she danced her way towards the six monsters. "I'm Miki, SOUL of Patience," Miki said as she gently bowed, and finally, "Lia, SOUL of Perseverance," Lia said as she adjusted her glasses. Asgore felt a bit of remorse seeing the six children before him, and Toriel's eyes showed some guilt over her failure to protect the six children that appeared before her. Sensing this, they all gently touched the monster sovereign's paws, as they spoke, "King Asgore. We forgive you for your actions. No need to feel tense." and then, they all hugged Toriel, "Toriel, Mother...You do not have to feel guilty for not protecting us. We love you. And we wanted to save monsterkind somehow. We now have a chance with Frisk's help. He's the last warrior left to save monsterkind.", but just as they were saying that, Toriel's eyes held some tears, looking lovingly towards Frisk, as a myriad of emotions broke in her voice "He...he will...fight?", and Asriel nodded solemnly as she looked towards him. "No..." was all she could utter as tears flowed off her face. But Frisk asked Toriel to level to him, as he gently cupped her face, his white Delta Rune robe fluttering with the howling wind. "Mama Tori...I'm afraid you all have to know something. So you know the reason I am placed with the choice of fighting instead of showing mercy."_

 _He then stood sternly in front of them, spectral humans and living monsters, as he left out his SOUL, now shining in the different SOUL colours of the six children. Then, his voice rang, with firm DETERMINATION glowing in his eyes. "I have pieced together a story so dastardly, so sick, that nobody should ever go through. It all began a long time ago, after the War of Monsters and Humans. Monsters were killed with no mercy, and sentenced to live for millenia in the Underground, sealed by seven human magicians. The Dreemurrs," he paused as he looked towards Toriel, Asgore and Asriel, as they were standing together, "had a happy life, thanks to Asriel. His birth and raising was the best that filled the King and Queen's lives. And then, one fateful day, Chara fell down Mt. Ebott, on a bed of golden flowers, where Asriel found her. He treated her as his sibling, and both Toriel and Asgore strived their best to be good parents for the human child." Frisk frowned with anger, as he continued the story, "And then, one day, Chara decided to poison her father, the father who so lovingly cared for her and Asriel alike. Asriel and Toriel were sad, and she just laughed it off." To that, Asgore and Asriel widened their eyes in shock, but Frisk wasn't done, as he gestured them to hold their reactions for later. "She then tricked Asriel into helping her. First, by getting the flowers used to poison her father so she could later poison herself, and then agreeing to a sick plan of getting six souls, in her way. That sick plan consisted in her poisoning herself and dying, so Asriel, with his magic, could absorb her soul. The control of Asriel's body was split between them, and Chara was the one who picked up her dead body." Asgore and, now, Toriel, were frowning with some anger, but Frisk's eyes softened at their sight. "I'm not done yet, Mama and Papa. Please, save your anger for when it's needed.", he said as the two exhaled heavily, because Frisk was right. "And, when Asriel reached to the human village, the humans attacked him because they thought that he killed the child. At that point, I assume Chara insisted on hurting the humans with his power, but Asriel sternly refused." Now it was Undyne's turn to have her eyes glint with anger, and for her to bellow "SO SHE WANTED EVERYONE DEAD AND USED ASRIEL IN THE PROCESS?! WHAT THE HECK?!", and now Frisk turned towards her, and told, with a stern voice, "Your anger is also justified, Undyne, but again, I ask that you save this anger for when it's needed." After Undyne relaxed as Alphys held her left fin, the lizard scientist somehow knew it was the point of revealing her actions. "So, when Asriel died right in front of your eyes," he turned back towards his parents, his eyes filled with a burning fire that wanted to see Chara dead, so dead, but besides that burning fire, his gaze betrayed sadness for what the Dreemurrs endured. "That was the beginning of the Kingdom's downfall, sending Asgore in a righteous, motivated anger towards the humans as he declared war. For Toriel, it meant breaking apart from her husband because she was disgusted with his actions. They lost two children in one night, and their despair and wounds were deeper than anyone would've realized. In the meantime, Asgore, desperate to offer monsterkind solutions to break down the barrier, he enforced the human killing policy, while asking Alphys," Frisk made a pause as he looked towards the lizard scientist, "to research more about Determination, to use in some ways, monsters' SOULS to break down the barrier. But the first experiments failed, so she turned to working with plants, and picked up the first golden flower that grew after Asriel's death, injecting it with DETERMINATION. But...there's a twist to this story." Frisk paused, turning towards Asriel. "Asriel,...I think it's best that you tell the story from here."_

 _Asriel stood in front of them, his azure Delta Rune robe flowing with the wind as well. He placed a paw on his SOUL, and continued Frisk's story, sadness covering his eyes. "That flower was a form of mine. It wasn't really me. It was my most negative side brought to life, feeding on hatred and destruction. What I did as Flowey is inexcusable, even for myself. I was this close to take my family, friends, and bystanders' souls just to be god-like. To toy around with the timeline as I wanted, just to be with Chara. I thought she was the only one who could understand me...," but just as he said that, everyone's faces broke apart, looking at the small monster child. "However, I was wrong. Frisk here, came to save me at my lowest, and even he was about to kill me for keeping the monsters he loved ensnared and hurting them." Toriel gasped as she looked towards Frisk, whose anger returned at that point where he was about to kill Flowey, an aura of fire and light enveloping him, and giving his appearance a rather heroic touch. "What I feel right now," Frisk reassured Toriel, as he looked back to her softly, even though he clenched on his trident's handle, "it's righteous anger to avenge all your suffering. And yes, I was this close to hurting Flowey - unaware, up until that point, that he was Asriel, in his darkest of sides."_

 _The six children and Frisk sensed something disturbing in this plane of existence, prompting Tyler to say "The Devil is approaching. There's not much time left. We'll prepare the shield. Frisk, stay DETERMINED, and Asriel, watch over Frisk, please." Toriel, in her ever growing worry and with breaking tears down her face, hugged both Frisk and Asriel. "Please, stay alive, my children.", and she was followed by Asgore, who sternly placed his paws over the two children's shoulders. "Remain steady, no matter what. We're all behind you." but the two children could only turn towards their parents and say together, "You have to promise us you wouldn't want to cross the shield the six SOULS will form, no matter what you see before your eyes." The two goat monsters, after they looked at each other with worry, nodded towards the children. "break her down, kiddo. you can do it, i know." Sans said as he hugged Frisk. "as for you...watch over your brother. he will need all the help.", the skeleton smiled towards Asriel as he winked with his left eye. Undyne noogied Frisk, which prompted a hearty laughter from the latter, and the fish warrior told him "Show her, Frisk. Break her down, it's the only way.", as she hugged him._

 _Lia began saying to Frisk, "It's already getting a lot darker. Everyone, prepare the shield!" and Frisk pleaded to his family and friends to stay where the children were working on forming the shield. "Please, I want you to be kept away from harm!" he bellowed, as he saw Toriel and Asgore were hesitating a bit before heading towards the shield, but the two monsters complied at their child's bellowing. The shield encompassed the love of the children for the monsters, and it was shining as brilliant light passed through it - it almost felt like unbreakable glass, to every monster, as they touched it. "I'm afraid, Gorey," she said as she was shivering in Asgore's arms. The former king thought it was perhaps her fear speaking for her, as he knew she was still resenting him. "They will be alright," the king reassured her. At the other end, Alphys was a bit scared, "W-will Frisk be able to fight fully? He...he's a pacifist!", but Undyne held her close and told her how Frisk is a hero, and even a pacifist must resort to fighting if the cause deems it necessary._

* * *

 _As their family and friends were now safe, Frisk and Asriel, looking at each other, waited until darkness fully enveloped them. The only source of light was Frisk's ever growing aura of righteous fury and fire, along with the pulsating SOUL of Asriel, and their light combined was enough to let the monsters behind the shield see anything. "Frisk. Are you ready?" Asriel asked, as he noticed Frisk's eyes that were glowing with a fire so intense as he twirled the trident of light, howling wind echoing through the darkness. "Yes, Asriel. Stay close. She's really unpredictable. I will try to use reason, before I get her dead right where she will stand." Asriel was a bit shocked to hear Frisk wanted to be a diplomat before a warrior, even now. "But..." Asriel uttered, as Frisk genuinely smiled towards the goat child. "I never said I will abandon a chance of instilling some reason in her. If she refuses to completely listen to reason, she will give me no choice but to execute her," Frisk said as he twirled again the trident, the crown on his head shining brilliant._

 _In the meantime, Chara was advancing in the darkness, wearing crimson robes and twirling in her left hand the Demonic Sword, that glowed red like her SOUL. Her SOUL was now much, much more powerful, and around her was a ring of infernal fire that threatened to burn everything - and everyone - down to a crisp. In her other hand, there was a silver shield that wore a red hand, her mark. Her eyes were burning red, feeding on chaos and destruction, and her teeth were almost bestial-like, like she was a vampire, and on her face there was a constant frown and fury. **"THEY WILL ALL PAY FOR WHAT THEY'VE DID TO ME. THEY'RE ALL NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF TRAITORS."** , she kept saying to herself as she advanced, until she noticed a light shimmering in front of her, and felt a howling wind fluttering her crimson robes. **"SO THE IDIOT IS TRYING TO FIGHT ME HIMSELF...ASRIEL DREEMURR! YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING!"** but just as she roared, she was stunned to see Frisk as her adversary. His attire surprised even her, prompting for some scoffs, **"Wow, Frisk. You're wearing Delta Rune robes. Are you sucking up to mommy and daddy?"**_

\- I wear the Rune proudly! It makes me feel braver, _Frisk said._

\- **So, you'll fight me?** _Chara chuckled._

- _ Yes, he will,_ _Asriel's reply came._

\- **Shame. I thought you'd be fighting me, crybaby!** _Chara retorted at Asriel, as the latter stood firm._

\- Leave him alone, Chara. This is between you and me, _Frisk said, as his eyes were glimmering with fiery rage._

 **\- Wow. Frisk's finally grown manly. He finally wants to fight,** _Chara said as she laughed ironically._

\- I know what you did to Genocide Frisk. I know what you made Asriel go through, _Frisk's brows were furrowing as he held the trident in his hands._

 **\- Are you trying to make me feel guilty, Frisk? Not gonna happen,** _Chara smirked, that evil grin playing on her face._

\- I just want you to figure out your time is almost over. And that you have to pay for your sins, _Frisk said as his crown was shining brilliantly in the aura of fire surrounding him._

 **\- Woo. And how are you going to make me pay? Are you gonna talk me out of this? Ha ha, pathetic,** _Chara said as she twirled her Demonic Sword._

 _\- We both will try this, if needed be, Asriel said._

 **\- Wow. You want to do that too, you little babyboo? Failure,** _Chara retorted to Asriel as she held an evil spark in her eyes._

 _\- I can't believe I cared for someone like you,_ Asriel said, tears growing in his eyes. _Frisk was really right. You're past any chance of redemption._

 **\- Are you gonna cry? Who's gonna save you now, Asriel?** _Chara lunged towards Asriel with her Demonic Sword, only to be swiftly blocked by Frisk's trident._

\- I. AM. GOING. TO. SAVE. HIM. , _Frisk said, his voice bellowing with anger as he made eye contact with Chara._

 _Behind them, the monsters were shocked to hear and see the child that they thought as 'their hope, their future' in such a demoniac way, to feel the seething revenge that she emitted through all of her pores. "Frisk was right," began Asgore as he watched his former daughter, "She was hellbent on killing since day one we got her in our family", to which Toriel could only utter "My only concern are our actual children, Asgore. Frisk is forced to fight, and," she paused for a moment, looking at Frisk with a mixture of concern and pride, "...I'm somewhat proud he is wielding a trident, like you do. That he's wearing our Royal Family's crest. He's everything I expected to see in a heir of our family. He's now a Dreemurr." to which Asgore smiled softly towards her. The rest of monsters were looking towards the royal couple, shocked that the two so swiftly thought of Frisk as a Dreemurr._

 **\- You're not gonna make it, Frisk,** _Chara said as she swinged her sword towards Frisk one more time, but Frisk parried again with his trident, clash of metal on metal audible._

 _Frisk then clasped his hands in a prayer, and twilight shone from his aura, as an array of flames were heading towards Chara. The Demon Child made a few twirls of her sword, and held up her silver shield, as a wall of darkness blocked Frisk's flames, and enveloped Chara's presence completely, rendering her invisible. "Shit," thought Frisk, "she's learnt a few moves since the Sans battle." and Chara used the cover of darkness to hurt Frisk in various places._

 **\- Cuckoo! Now you see me, now you don't,** _the demon child swinged her sword at Frisk, and zinged right on his right cheek._

\- _Frisk, wait. I can do something,_ _Asriel said_ _to Frisk, as he held up his paws. SHOCKER BREAKER! roared Asriel as he summoned five lightning bolts that sent out waves of electricity._

 _Asriel's attack was effective, as it completely broke Chara's cover, hurting her in the process. **"ASRIEL! THIS IS YOUR LAST MOVE!"** Chara yelled as she lunged again towards Asriel, covering her Demonic Sword with infernal fire, but again, Frisk was swift in parrying her attack with his trident, holding against her and pushing her away from Asriel with a howling wind he summoned. "Didn't I tell you I will save him? He's my ally, as everyone else is. And you're the sick demon I have to execute from the face of this existence." Frisk bellowed in a grave voice, as his eyes were glowing with Determination, summoning a fireball, kicking Chara even further.  
At Frisk's words, monsters behind the shield were shocked at the fiery aura of justice and determination that reached them - and they felt enveloped in it with each move Frisk was doing. "he is combining his aura with ours," Sans deduced as he saw everyone glowing. "he counts on us too."_

 **\- Heh, you think your power scares me? I think my power should scare you,** _Chara said as she summoned a giant ball filled with electricity and infernal fire._ **Everyone will die, and you'll be forced to watch,** _she said as she aimed for the shield covering the monsters._

 _Frisk, seeing the giant ball in Chara's hands, swiftly placed himself in front of the shield. He then hit the ground with his trident, unveiling a shield of fire. "I will counter fire with fire. My fire is stronger than yours," he said as he closed his eyes, in full concentration. Chara then released the giant ball, and Frisk tried to keep his fire shield up, but Chara's magic was much more potent, and she controlled the fire a bit better than Frisk, whose fire shield broke after a full ten minutes' resistance. However, the ball's size was slightly diminished from said resistance, and it was only able to crack the shield behind him a bit. The monsters looked in shock at the crack, and they knew the shield wouldn't hold too long if it kept being the target. Frisk could only utter towards his family, "If I die here...I want you to know that I love you all.", but they all said, "Stay determined for us all!" and so Frisk picked himself up and got back next to Asriel, who was holding out himself against Chara._

 _\- Leave them alone, Chara! It is enough! Asriel was bellowing as he formed various shields against the angry swings of Chara's sword, which cut through Asriel's robes a few times._

 **\- Finally, you decide to fight me too! But you're weak. And vulnerable,** _she said as she aimed for his SOUL, only for Frisk to summon a howling wind that was combined with a wave of electricity, pushing Chara back from Asriel._

\- Leave him alone, Chara! You attack my family and friends, and then you attack my brother? This is enough!  _Frisk said as he summoned a powerful Sun Beam towards Chara, hurting her and making her robes catch up some fire._

 _She picked herself up, brushing her injuries off, and putting out the fire. It was her time to reply with the same coin, as she summoned a huge skeletal head, from which a crimson ray shot right towards Frisk, whose white robe was now zinged and a bit cut from the ray. He felt the world turning around him for a moment..._  
 _Sans recognized the attack, and he couldn't believe that the demon kid was using a form of Gaster Blaster attack. "shit. frisk is really going to be hammered." the small skeleton noticed as Chara insistently attacked Frisk, the latter parrying with difficulty. Asriel then summoned a star-shaped shield in front of Frisk, preventing Chara to deal a rather fatal blow. In that instance, Toriel's face was livid with fear, but Asgore held a tight grip on her, softly whispering "Have faith in them." Indeed, after Asriel saved Frisk from that fatal blow, the human child gathered back his courage, and his eyes glinted with mischief. "You're gonna have a bad time!"_

 **\- What? Quoting Sans right before his Genocide battle? Pathetic,** _Chara said, but in that moment, Frisk summoned an array of sun rays, almost similar to some spears, cutting Chara's robes in the process and a bit of her face._

\- That was just a warning shot for you. You're not gonna like what comes next, _Frisk kept saying, as he summoned a tornado of fire towards Chara, that picked up the demon child and twisted her violently until she crashed on the ground._

 _The injuries were rather extensive, and Chara collapsed. Frisk knew this was far from over, as Chara also had DETERMINATION, so he wasn't surprised to see her black soul reform just in front of his eyes. **"You fool. How do you really plan on killing me? We both have Determination, and neither will really kill one another."** but Frisk really knew how to kill her. He had to exhaust her magic and DETERMINATION fully, even if it meant that would happen for him as well. He asked Asriel to come closer, as he whispered in his ear these few words, "When I will run out of DETERMINATION...cause it will happen at a point, she will run out of it too. I want you to cast Shocker Breaker II if things get hairy. I promised myself I will deal the final strike." but Asriel was concerned for Frisk, "Are you sure you can do that?", to which Frisk replied "Yes, I am able to do that."_

\- You should be more concerned on repenting from your sins, _Frisk said as he twirled his trident, summoning an array of flames towards Chara._

 **\- Again this attack? You're really running out of ideas-,** _she said until she realised these flames were different, they were filled with Sans' Karmic Retribution, because the moment those flames touched her, she felt the sins crawling on her back._

\- What were you saying? That I'm running out of ideas? Not at all, _Frisk said, as his crown was shining even brighter._ I told you, you have to pay for your sins.

 **\- You...you miserable cheater! That ain't gonna happen anytime soon,** _she said, and even though she was slowed by the Karmic Retribution, her DETERMINATION allowed her to summon some power to swing her Demonic Sword, this time covered in sheer electricity and a touch of poison, zapping Frisk as it struck his right arm, rendering him weak.  
_

\- Who's really the cheater here, _Frisk asked as he held onto his SOUL and summoned a white aura of rage, that pushed Chara away from him once more._

 **\- You're running out of magic. And you'll soon run out of Determination,** _she said as she prepaired a wave of dark electricity, along with infernal fire, blasting through Frisk as he was weakened, and the hero of monsters collapsed for the first time in the whole fight, making Chara form a twisted grin._

 _ **"Boom. Your hero has fallen. And there's nobody left to save you,"** she said as she prepaired another giant ball, putting all her fury in it, DETERMINED to see everyone dead. All monsters were looking at Frisk, who laid dead in front of their eyes, and felt their hope faltering away. But Frisk's DETERMINATION was still more than enough to keep him alive. Chara died once already...and knew that DETERMINATION could only last for two attempts of reforming, when in a battle with someone of equal DETERMINATION. So, when his SOUL pieced back together, Frisk rose from the place where he fell. "You're wrong, Chara. They have me to save them," Frisk said as he took a deep breath, focusing on forming a barrier of light and fire before the giant ball. Behind the shield, all monsters were looking at Frisk, their eyes full of concern, "Frisk, you can't hold that on your own!" Toriel and Asgore both bellowed at the child who stood in front of them, as he held the barrier of light and fire. The aura of the two monsters enveloped Frisk, as he felt his fiery magic gain some stability. "yeah, bucko. you can't fully be alone, you know," Sans's aura of righteous fury enveloped Frisk as well. "L-let us help too!" Alphys said, as her timid lightning aura glowed, influencing Frisk's magic. "YEAH, LET US SHOW THIS PRICK WHY WE'RE HERE!" both Undyne and Papyrus said, their justitiary aura contributed to Frisk's.  
 **"Wow, so the spectators want to be warriors, huh? Too bad, your stupid shield won't hold out for too long!"** Chara said as she threw the giant ball at Frisk's barrier of light and fire. But, to her shock, the ball of fury she projected was slowly reducing as it clashed with Frisk's barrier, and the human hero was thankful for their intervention.  
_

 _\- Hey, Chara! You forgot about me!_ _said Asriel as he lunged towards Chara with a Twilight Saber that she managed to block with some difficulty as she was prepairing another attack towards Frisk's barrier.  
_

 **\- What's wrong, you were feeling left alone? Come on, fight me, crybaby!** s _he taunted to Asriel, who was holding well against Chara's swings._

 _\- You hurt Frisk for long enough. It's time I step up,_ _Asriel said, as he summoned a star-shaped shield, firing a few starbolts from it in the process, to push Chara away from Frisk._

 _In the meantime, Frisk was trying to appeal to his last reserves of magic and DETERMINATION. He was convinced Asriel would use a bit of his magic himself, while fighting his lost sibling. Toriel, even though she felt well helping Frisk, a look of fear formed on her face as Frisk was limping a bit and wincing from the few wounds and the reforming of his SOUL. Even though her motherly instincts called to do everything to heal Frisk, she reminded his plea that they should remain behind the shield, because Frisk didn't want them in the crossfire. Asriel was holding out on his own, shooting a few starbolts at Chara, parrying with his Twilight Sabers, and summoning a few lightning strikes to render her weaker than before. "Frisk! I could use some help here," Asriel pleaded as he was defending himself from Chara's almost restless attacks. Frisk summoned a wave of ray spears towards Chara, and the latter couldn't avoid all of them, as it cut through her robes once more, leaving new wounds, and she could only form that sick grin on her face._

 **\- That all you've got? Come at me, Frisk! Fight me, you coward!** _she taunted Frisk, as the latter was advancing towards her, the trident was now covered in burning flames._

 _Frisk leaped with all his might, and Chara managed to parry him. They went between parries as Frisk swinged his trident with righteous fury, and Chara swinged her sword with a relentless killing intent, clashing of metal on metal resounding with each attack and defense, as the two fighters made eye contact. Frisk's eyes and aura emitted unwavering righteous fury, while Chara's eyes and aura emitted a malicious and relentless killing intent. Asriel was watching in awe at Frisk's skills of fighting, with each time he manouvered his trident. At one point, Frisk shot a light beam from the trident, burning Chara and blinding her for a few moments. Chara's sole reply was to draw a circle with her Demonic Sword and, as the energy was charging the blade, she made a red X in the air, the attack aimed for Frisk, who managed to block it for a few moments with a shield of fire and light. The recoil from both magical attacks sent them far one from another, laying on the ground. Frisk tried to rise to his feet, as Chara did, and they summoned opposite magical attacks - Frisk sent out a ball of fire and light, and Chara made one of darkness and red electricity - which hurt them both with the same intensity, causing again extensive and deadly injuries, both collapsing. "This...is...the last..." Frisk coughed some blood, "...this is the last...time. I have to hold on. She will be obliberated soon...by my hands." Asriel ran towards Frisk, and he clasped his paws in a prayer, healing a bit of Frisk's pain. The goat child looked towards the human hero with concern, "Frisk...d-don't...die, okay? I can sense she's almost out of magic. And...you're like that too." Frisk smiled weakly, "Strike her at her weakest point."_

 _Frisk was right, now that Chara reformed twice, this was her last chance at life, and her magical power would be almost inexistent. However, that would've been the case of Frisk too, if he was to fail. The white robe he was wearing was cut in all places, and he was burned and bruised all over, Asriel had also cuts on his fur and his robes. Chara's damage was much more extensive than the two, as she had a part of her hair burned, her robes were turned to messy shreds and her face and hands held a lot of bruises and scars. Not to mention her SOUL was already cracking from the two reforms. Frisk's SOUL had some cracks as well, but his were smaller than Chara's, and that was due to the love that kept his SOUL in place._

 **\- This isn't over, Frisk. I will kill you over and over again. My DETERMINATION is infinite!** _Chara said, but she didn't know what Frisk knew._

\- And I'm going to fight you over and over again. You won't repent from your sins. It means I gotta beat that back into you, _Frisk_ _said as he grinned the way Sans did, twirling his trident fiercely, as he summoned waves of fire heading towards Chara._

\- **Are you deaf? You can't kill me at all,** _Chara said as she dodged the the waves of fire, a few of the balls zinging her clothes._ **You gotta learn that the hard way,** _the demon child continued as she summoned a crimson ray towards Frisk's position, charged with fire and air in it._

 _But Frisk simply twirled again his trident, making the air cool down, and the fire dissipate, while the ray just missed him._ _"Did you really think I'm going to stay and take it all in tow?" Frisk's DETERMINATION was all that was keeping him alive, as he sternly looked at the demon child._

 **\- How do you do this?! How can you still be standing?** _Chara said nervously, as she lunged towards Frisk with her sword, this time filled with hatred, that struck against Frisk's well timed lightning-filled trident, clenching of metal over metal even more audible._

\- Don't force me to use my special attack, _Frisk snickered. He was about to summon, with his last reserve, Sun Beams II, a stronger variant of his light rays.  
_

 **\- Shut up, you idiot. You think I haven't learnt your attacks by now?** _Chara said, but she could feel that she didn't have that much magic at her disposal. "Damnit," was all she could think, so instead lunged again, from above, at Frisk, who again parried her. **  
**_

\- Really, you force me to use my special attack, _Frisk grinned again, as he winked towards Asriel.  
_

 **\- SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO SPECIAL** **ATTACK-** _, she began saying, only to be struck by Asriel's Shocker Breaker II, that electrocuted her spine, making her throw down the Demonic Sword and remain stunned for a while, her eyes widening at how powerful Asriel really was. **  
**_

 _\- You were wrong, Chara. I am his special attack,_ _Asr_ _iel said._

\- Nah, this is my real special attack, _Frisk shrugged as he summoned, with all his reserve, Sun Beams II._  


 _The rays were gigantic, engulfing the demon child in burning light, as her SOUL cracked fully, and her body turned to nothing but ash. The Genocide Frisks' power was gone, as Sans saw Geno Frisk's SOUL get destroyed in the container he was carrying. "the kid did it. the demon is gone forever."_

* * *

 _As Frisk saw the results of his actions, he was smiling happily before he collapsed in Asriel's paws. The shield in front of the monsters was gone, as they all rushed towards Frisk, with worried eyes. Toriel and Asgore immediately summoned their healing magic, seeing their bravest son faltering before them, and Toriel's eyes were full of tears. She was silently and woefully praying to heavens above that her beloved child wasn't gone after this. The green flame hovered from both monsters, and then Asriel joined in, his own healing magic adding to his parents' one. The two Boss Monsters looked at their offspring with surprise, until Asriel replied softly, "It's a small gift from the SOUL of Kindness. Let us heal Frisk...he fought valiantly for us today." Sans, Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys were watching the effort of the three Dreemurrs as they were healing the hero of an entire race. Alphys was shaking with a bit of concern, "Is h-he going to b-be okay? F-Frisk...risked h-his life for us here. I...I w-wish we could d-do more.", but Undyne kept comforting her. Sans was sad to see his friend down, and Papyrus finally spoke, after a long time in which he was completely silent, watching everything, "DO NOT WORRY, BROTHER. HE WILL BE ALRIGHT. HE WILL PULL THROUGH."_

 _Asgore, Asriel and Toriel were still healing Frisk's extensive injuries, healing the cracks in his SOUL...and Toriel, with the last of her hopes, leant in closer to Frisk's ear, whispering between her tears, "Frisk, dear...if you...if you hear me by any chance...come back to me." Asriel noticed the concerned look on his mother's face, and realized the strong, real strong bond between her and Frisk, and he smiled happily that he was going to have a sibling - one that really cared about him, this time. Toriel kept whispering in Frisk's ear, "please, my child...return to me...", between tears. Asriel then held out a paw towards his mother, saying "He will be back at us, Mom. He loves us all...", as the two, mother and son, returned to healing Frisk. After what seemed like an eternity, Frisk flew open his eyes, realizing he was still in that place where he fought with Chara. Asgore, Asriel and Toriel were above him, with worried faces. "Mama...I...heard your...calls.", Frisk said, smiling weakly, to which Toriel held him closer in her lap, gently carressing his hair. "Asriel... break the barrier...we have to go to the surface!", Frisk said to his brother, as the latter gathered his entire focus, as he lifted himself a bit from the ground, and with the power from the six children, he attacked the barrier with a Shocker Breaker II, the barrier finally collapsing and breaking in pieces. "It is done, Frisk," said Asriel, after he touched back the ground. "Sans...shortcut us...please...we gotta go to the broken barrier." Frisk said gently, to which the skeleton, worried, asked the child if he can bear a shortcut. "Yes. Mama Tori will hold me in her arms just...for the shortcut. I can walk after that...just...let's go..."  
_

 _After Sans' brilliant shortcut, all the monsters were now sitting before a tunnel where the barrier was once. "Mama Tori. I can walk," Frisk assured her as he left the enveloping protection of her arms. He was still a bit wobbly, but his DETERMINATION was back in full force, pushing him forward. He walked slowly towards the light that was shining at the end of this tunnel, the monsters following behind. The sun was slowly setting, as twilight and the fresh air enveloped the child with grace, and in the distance, Ebott City's buildings could be seen towering the landscape, but the monsters were so fascinated with seeing the sun after a long, long time of imprisonment. "Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" asked Asgore in his baritonal voice, to which everyone replied with a "wow, yes!" and Papyrus's only wish was now to impress more humans, "I WILL MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION," he said as he fastly ran away. Undyne, amazed Frisk was living in such a beautiful climate "You live with this?! The air is so FRESH here!", could only follow in Papyrus' footsteps, and Alphys ran after Undyne. Sans just skeltered away in a shortcut, leaving Frisk, Asriel, Asgore and Toriel together. "In a different ending, she wouldn't let him stay so close to her, but now...I think they will reconcile," Frisk thought as he saw Asgore gently holding Toriel._

\- Frisk, you came from this world, right? _Toriel softly asked._ Do you have any place to stay?

\- No, _Frisk admitted with sadness._ I want to stay with you, _he said as he hugged Toriel tightly, then turned to hug Asgore, and lastly, hugged Asriel._

\- Child, if you would've said that the first time we met, none of the things you did would've happened _, Toriel said, with a small smile on her face, as she leveled to Frisk._

\- It is true, Frisk, you did a great service for monsterkind, _Asgore said._ Say...do you want to be our ambassador to the humans?

\- Of course, Papa! I want to help you in any way I can, _Frisk said, grinning from one end to the other._

\- Well, Frisk, you can stay with us if you want, _Toriel suggested._ We'll be happy to care for you! _the goat mother smiled._

\- Mom, Frisk is really going to stay with us? _Asriel asked, happily.  
_  
\- Yes, Asriel, he will, _she said as she ruffled Asriel's fur and Frisk's hair._

 _It seemed like this was a new beginning for Frisk's life..._

 ** _THE END._**


End file.
